To Find Your Place
by My-Crazy-Awesome-Sox
Summary: AU:InuKag: My take on The Lion King, with a modern twist: When he ran to escape his past, the business he would have taken over falls into ruin. Will his childhood friend be able to convince him to take his rightful place?
1. The Circle Beginns

**A/N: **Konichiwa minna-san! I'm back with my second chapter story! I've been wanting to read an InuKag romance with a Lion King plot(I love that movie! And no, I'm not afraid to admit I still love Disney stuff!). Unfortunately, I couldn't find any. So I decided to write my own version of it! Now, I'm using the entire movie as inspiration, so the actual romance stuff won't be for a few chapters, but I hope I can keep your attention until then! Review and tell me exactly what you think. It's the same policy as all my other fics, review even if you hate it. I want to get better at writing and I can't do that if I don't know my faults. So here it is! Tanoshii omoi o suru!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing! Ramiko Takahashi-sama has the rights to InuYasha while Disney has the rights to The Lion King. It makes me sad sometimes, but it's true. sigh

**Important:** If you need help with any of the Japanese, just visit my author page. There is a dictionary there to help you!

* * *

-

**To Find Your Place**

**_one_**

**-**

He made another pass in front of the double doors to the maternity ward, hands nervously clenched behind his back, his long, silver-white hair flaring out behind him. He'd been at it for the better part of half an hour, pacing in the waiting room, stopping every few minutes to narrow his dark amber eyes and giving an impressive growl at the doors that separated him from his mate. Behind him a hansom man in his early thirties sat languidly on one of the many padded chairs in the large room, following his longtime friend and business associate with his eyes. He sighed and shook his head at the demon, causing his short black locks to sway slightly, as he once again stopped to growl at the innocent doors. He adjusted his position and addressed the man.

"Really InuTaisho, you need to calm down. She'll be fine." His voice was deep and relaxed, exactly what InuTaisho did _not_ want to hear at the moment.

"She's been in there, alone, for an hour Higurashi," he growled, turning and glaring at the younger man, "What in Kami's name is going on?!"

Itazura Higurashi looked down at his watch. "It's only been thirty-five minutes, _Takahashi_. And she's not alone. There are at least three nurses and the doctor in there with her."

The inu-youkai growled and resumed his pacing. "If she's not with me then she's alone. My instincts are going crazy! My mate is in there without me, _in pain_, and there's nothing I can do about it!" He raked an anxious, clawed hand through his long locks, careful not to break the band that held them in a high ponytail.

Itazura quirked an eyebrow. "She's having a baby, it's not exactly a walk in the park for her. It's inevitable that she's going to be in at least a little pain, you know that." InuTaisho growled even more menacingly than before. The black haired man sighed and rose from his seat, walked toward his friend and put a strong hand on his dress-shirt clad shoulder. His face was solemn and sympathetic. "I know you're afraid that Izayoi will come to the same fate as your first wife, but you have to stay calm. Megumi died a long time ago, well before I was even born. There are stronger medicines now. The medical equipment is much more advanced. Women rarely die in childbirth anymore." InuTaisho quieted, thinking of how his first wife, a full demon like himself, had died during the birth of his first born, Sesshomaru. If the baby had not survived, he doubted he would've had the strength to continue with his own life. "Besides," the thirty-two year old continued, trying to lighten the mood some, as he walked back to his seat and flopped down once again, "think of it this way. Since you're out here with me, Izayoi will have to take her fiery spirit out on someone else for a change."

InuTaisho looked up at his friend and saw the usual mischievous twinkle back in his sapphire blue eyes. He knew they were friends for a reason. Itazura seemed to remind him to loosen up and not lose 'what little youth he had left', as the man liked to say. Though it was true the demon looked relatively young, mid forties at the oldest, not even Itazura knew his real age. Takahashi InuTaisho _was _a demon after all. The first time the inu-youkai had confronted his friend about his joking behavior he was given the first of what would be many 'Higurashi sayings', though really, they were almost all just thought up on the spot. 'If you act the age you want to be,' he had said, 'no one will be able to make you feel old by guessing your real age.' It seemed to be the one saying the young husband actually lived by. Speaking of which…

"You just wait until that wife of yours finally has a child and we'll see how clam you are Itazura." The demon's tone told that the goal of the joke had been accomplished.

The comment was answered with a playful glare. "What do you mean _finally_?"

The youkai gave a good-humored smirk. "We have a deal Higurashi, have you forgotten? We're partners in this firm and to make sure our kin have no problems deciding who takes over when we are gone, we agreed that our families should join. And right now it seems I am the only one keeping to that agreement. I now have two candidates for the join while you have yet to produce an heir."

The answering glare was ruined by the smile adorning the young man's face. "As much as I would love to be home with my wife working on fulfilling my end of the bargain, it was you who dragged me here to make sure you didn't kill anyone when the nurses kicked you out so your mate could deliver your kid."

The demon's deep laugh resonated through the room. "Higurashi you are truly-"

"Takahashi-sama?" They had been so wrapped up in their joking, the two had failed to take notice when the doors to the maternity ward had opened to reveal a short, black haired woman in nurse's uniform. They turned to her when she made her presence known. She cleared her throat, "Your wife-" But the demon didn't stick around long enough for her to finish as he simply sped past her to his mate's room. Itazura gave the stunned woman an apologetic smile before following after his friend at a much more reasonable speed.

When he arrived at Izayoi's door and peeked inside, Itazura couldn't help the smile that spread across his kind face. He stayed at the door and watched as childish wonderment and joy entered his friend's normally intimidating dark gold eyes as his mate surrendered the small, currently very noisy, cloth bundle to his awaiting arms. The woman lying in the hospital bed was obviously exhausted, but her soft, warm smile still had its place on her rosy lips. Her long onyx hair was pinned up at the back of her head showing the small amount of perspiration that had formed on her neck and forehead. She leaned back on the pillows once InuTaisho had a firm grip of the bundle and caught the dark haired man's figure in the corner of her eye. She smiled fully at him and bade him come into the sparsely decorated room.

"It's rude to stand in doorways, Itazura-san." She chided teasingly.

He chuckled and walked toward her. "Ah, but my lady! I simply did not want to intrude upon such a tender family moment!" He teased in a mock hurt tone.

"You are as much family as any, or at least you will be in time." They both laughed before turning their attention back to the quickly quieting newborn in his demon father's arms. "It's a boy, Itazura." Izayoi said softly, answering the man's yet to be asked question.

"He's a hansom one Izayoi. It's just so unfortunate that all his looks should be from his father." The woman giggled softly at the comment. It was true though. This baby was undoubtedly his father's son. Amber eyes, a few shades lighter than InuTaisho's, looked curiously around what little room he could see while small clawed fingers could be seen as the tike waved his arm trying to grab hold of his father's long bangs, which matched the color of his own mop of downy hair. His most distinguishing feature, though, were the fuzzy dog-like ears sticking out from that silver mass of hair, quite different from his father's pointed, but otherwise normal ears. This feature marked him as a hanyou. It was not as big of a deal as it had been in the past, but there were still those with their prejudices. For now though, he would be loved unconditionally by all around him. Everyone who worked at Takahashi-Higurashi Incorporated, a.k.a. TH Inc., would make sure of it.

InuTaisho smiled as the child hiccupped and made small gurgling sounds as he wrapped his small fingers around his father's larger one. "InuYasha." He said gently, gaining curious looks from the other two occupants of the room. He looked up at them. "His name," he clarified, "His name will be InuYasha."

"InuYasha," Izayoi said thoughtfully before smiling again herself, "I love it."

Itazura crossed his arms and nodded his agreement. "It suits him."

-

The customary two weeks Izayoi was to stay at the hospital had been a struggle for Itazura. It seemed that every time he needed to find InuTaisho for a business matter, he had snuck out of his office to the hospital to be with his mate and pup. He was relived that she was coming home that day. Maybe now they could actually get some work done…after the festivities of course.

"Honestly Inu-kun, do I really need to be blindfolded? Couldn't I just promise to keep my eyes closed?" Izayoi asked with a sigh. Really, was this necessary? Her mate was being far too overprotective. He had insisted she be in a wheel chair for the trip to where ever they were going, keeping InuYasha tightly wrapped in her arms. When she had asked where they were going that she couldn't just walk, she already knew it was someplace on the business campus, he had just said it was a surprise and then blindfolded her. She would have enjoyed the ride more if she was able to see the campus on such a beautiful day. She could feel the warmth of the late morning sunshine and imagined that it must have made the grounds look absolutely stunning. Her mate had started the corporation himself even before his first son had been born, and as it grew and needed more space he had bought neighboring properties and reworked it all into its own little community instead of just building up. It made all the employees feel like one giant family. The landscaping was done in a simple, but impressive style and the spaces between the buildings, none of which exceeded twenty stories, were filled in with decorative walkways and grassy areas. There was even a nursery and young education center so parents could work without worrying if there young children were in good hands.

"I know you too well, koi. Your curiosity will get the better of you and you'll open your eyes before I say to." InuTaisho chuckled as his answer was met with a 'humph'. He wheeled her towards the large lobby of the main building, the automatic doors swishing open for them. Izayoi knew something was up when she didn't hear the usual chatter of passing people or constant shuffle of papers. Come to think of it the entire campus had seemed deserted. She felt her mate begin to untie the blindfold. "Ok, you can look now," he pulled the bandanna from her eyes, "Welcome back koi," he whispered.

As the room was revealed she was met with cheers and shouts of 'Welcome back!' and 'Congratulations!' from the hundreds of people gathered there. Izayoi's smile grew as she recognized most of the people she saw, either from around the campus or from other businesses from the surrounding area that either did business with her mate or she herself frequented. The large decorative room had been decked out with blue, green, and red streamers and balloons for her welcome home party. Seeing as the lobby usually looked so formal and elegant with its deep green printed wall-to-wall carpeting and mahogany front desk and other finery, the party-like atmosphere was something to get used to. There in the center of everything, under a large hanging banner that welcomed her 'home' sat an enormous cake that congratulated the birth of her first son.

She laughed with joy and looked up at her mate with shining coffee eyes with all the love and adoration she could muster. This was the most wonderful thing her mate could have done for her. Family, she had always thought, was the most wonderful gift on earth, and InuTaisho had given it to her more times than she could count. As she looked back over the crowed of people, Izayoi noticed one elderly looking man step forward with two things clutched in his hands she found rather strange. One was a sheathed sword, while the other seemed to be a rather large mallet resting on his shoulder. She didn't recognize this man, but obviously InuTaisho did for his smile grew when he stepped forward.

"Totosai, I'm glad you could make it." He greeted the older man with a nod.

The so named Totosai waved it off. "Yeah, well, It's not like I had much choice now is it? The only motivating skill that advisor of yours has is how annoying he can be. I would have liked to play with it more, but I had to get my butt on over here so he would shut his little yapper." His voice was strong and defiant, yet strained and grating at the same time. InuTaisho's deep laugh resonated through the room at both the old man's retort and the small 'humph' that answered it from the man's unoccupied shoulder. What, to the untrained eye, looked to be something just larger than a spec, though Izayoi recognized as the flea demon adviser Myoga, leaped from his perch with Totosai to InuTaisho.

"My lord wanted it done and ready for today and you to be the one to present it, you good-for-nothing old coot!" The nasally voice of the flea defended. Totosai scoffed at the insult.

InuTaisho chuckled at their typical antics. "Now, both of you, there's no need for hostilities." He turned to his mate who was looking curiously at the old bug-eyed man across from her, who was dressed like he should be at a forge. "Izayoi, this is the demon sword-smith Totosai. Each male member of my family has commissioned a sword for his own use from him for as long as I can remember. They don't really serve any purpose these days, but they still stand as a symbol of status. My sword, Sou'unga, is one of his as well as Tenseiga, the sword I had commissioned for Sesshomaru when he was born," he paused momentarily, "Think of it as a sort of _actual_ birth day present."

Izayoi looked at him skeptically as she let her infant son play with her gentle fingers, since he didn't seem to be interested in any of what was going on. "You got our two-week old son a _sword_ as a present?"

InuTaisho smiled sheepishly. "Well it's not like I'd actually _give_ it to him until he's older. Thirteen perhaps…" she glared at him, "Or whenever you see fit my dear," he added quickly, which seemed to draw a satisfied smirk from the young woman. The demon sighed, regained his composure, and turned his attention back to Totosai. "You were able to make it to my specifications?" He asked.

The sword-smith snorted and lazily cleaned out one of his ears with a gnarled pinky-finger, gaining as small grimace from Izayoi. "You question my ability now? It's just like ya' wanted. A sword of great power, a sword to be used to protect what is dear, a sword that no full demon outside your own house can even touch. Of all the commissions I've gotten over the centuries, I have to say this piece of art is one of my best works ever." He gave the weapon a little shake. "I think the question is, are you sure the whelp will grow up to be able to handle it?"

The inu-youkai looked down at his youngest son, bright amber looking up to meet darkened gold, and gave a curt nod. "I have no doubt."

Totosai closed his eyes, sighed and nodded. "Then I leave the Tetsuaiga with you." He stepped forward and formally placed the sheathed katana in the silver-haired demon's awaiting clawed hands. The older demon then turned his attentions to the young human still sitting in the wheelchair. He hobbled over to her and peered at the infant she held in her grasp. The young InuYasha, finally taking notice of the new person, peered right back and purposefully swatted a hand at the length of gray facial hair closest to his reach. "Well, let me have a look-see." He said reaching for the hanyou babe. Before Izayoi could protest InuTaisho placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, telling her it was ok. Reluctantly she surrendered her child to the odd gray-haired old men.

He held the boy up, one hand under each arm, and stepped back slightly. Inquisitive, innocent amber eyes stared back at the demon smith's calculating gaze. InuYasha kicked his legs a bit, discomforted by the fact that they were not supported. The small fuzzy ears at the top of his head and his petite sensitive nose working overtime trying to get a barring about the unknown demon. The smell of sulfur reached his inexperienced scrunched up nose, causing the young hanyou to sneeze. All his fidgeting proved that the baby wasn't entirely happy with his one-piece, blue-and-white, cotton infant clothes being the only thing between him and the gnarled old smith. Totosai brought him back down to eye level and nodded looking back at InuTaisho.

"You better look out for this one, Takahashi. He'll be a handful when he gets older. You got lucky with Sesshomaru; this one won't be so easy." He placed the child back in his mother's eagerly awaiting arms. InuTaisho smiled down at his mate as she coddled their gurgling son before nodding at Totosai.

Wine glasses had been passed around to the gests during this whole scene and the gests-of-honor were just getting theirs as a call came from the front of the crowd closest to the large aforementioned cake. "A toast, then." InuTaisho looked up to see his longtime friend and business partner, Higurashi Itazura, with his glass raised. "To InuYasha; may he live a long and very happy life." The others raised their glasses as well and shouts of 'To InuYasha!' were heard before all present took a sip of their drink. InuTaisho looked approvingly over the crowd of smiling faces, but it briefly marred into a slight frown as he noticed one person he had asked to come conspicuously absent.

-

Naraku stood in the familiar lavish office with his arms crossed; a glare prominent on his face as he gazed at what, he thought, should have been his. The large dark oak desk that sat in front of a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows, from which you could look over the corporate grounds from the top floor of the tallest building on the campus, the built-in bookshelves on the opposite wall filled with pictures of smiling family and friends. He couldn't understand it. He knew most women found him gorgeous, he was fairly rich, with his long black hair, piercing violet eyes, and crisp dark business suits. He and his corporation, though significantly smaller than TH Inc, were feared by many. He didn't bother dealing with humans, they were weak and useless, but had only demons working under him. So why was it that Takahashi InuTaisho _still_ managed to live his dream? He had tried to work out a partnership years before, but was turned down, only to have the position filled by a _human_ a little more than a decade later. All of this, the penthouse office, the corporation campus, the money, the opulence, it should have been his.

The sun could be seen on its downward path through the windows as Naraku noticed a minute youkai bounding into the room through the partially ajar office door. He despised that creature. "Onigumo-sama! Here you are! InuTaisho-sama is on his way as we speak and he is going to have one hell of a temper fit when he finds you up here." Myoga's nasally voice was grating on his already thinning nerves.

"Oh look at me, I'm shaking." The dark haired man mocked in almost a growl.

"You should be!" the flea chided, ignoring the dangerous tone of his voice, "You've been doing business with InuTaisho-sama for decades, and yet you fail to show up at a very important gathering that you were personally invited to!"

This time Naraku really did growl. "If anyone should be shaking, it should be you, lowlife. I am your superior. Show some respect!" He snatched the flea demon off his perch on the large, dark wood desk and crushed him in his fist.

"Onigumo." A booming voice came from the doorway. Said man turned toward the owner of the office. "Drop him, if you would." Naraku snorted at his use of authority, but opened his hand, letting a rather flat Myoga flutter to the ground. "Now, I want to know why you weren't at my mate's 'welcome back' party this morning when you didn't turn down the invitation when I told you about it?"

Naraku's eyes widened in fake surprise. "That was today? Too bad, it must have slipped my mind. I do hope the wench and her whelp are doing ok." The drama and mocking in his voice was almost unbearable.

InuTaisho growled, "You'll do well to watch your mouth, Onigumo. Why is it that we've been doing business together for decades and you still can't seem to remember when I'm having a major function, even when I personally invite you?" Naraku rolled his eyes. What? Was he listening to a broken record?

"I have other things on my agenda that are more important than the frivolities of a corporate party, Takahashi." The dark haired demon said as he made his way to the open door of the office.

"Don't turn you back on me Onigumo." The silver haired youkai said in a dangerous tone. Naraku stopped in the doorway and looked back over his shoulder, sharp violet eyes narrowed, but did not turn around.

"No, Takahashi, maybe you shouldn't have turned _your_ back on _me_."

And with that he was gone, even before InuTaisho could question him on why he was in his office in the first place. InuTaisho rubbed his forehead and sighed, "What am I going to do with him?"

Myoga, having puffed himself back up and taken his usual position of the demon's shoulder during the conversation, snorted as he glared after Naraku's quickly receding form. "I honestly don't understand why you insist on continuing business with that man. What good can possibly come out of a relationship with that kind of person?"

InuTaisho shook his head tiredly. "Unfortunately, we need him Myoga. We get a lot of good business from his advertisements."

"Either way, I still say he can't be trusted."

-

It was late and the fires were lit, as they always were, in Totosai's forge. The cave that held the forge was dark besides the blaze in its center. The flicker of the flares played with and molded the shadows into unrecognizable shapes and forms. The smith lazed around looking at the wall where he wrote all the names of his commissions and who received them. He sipped his evening tea while watching the light of the flames from the pit dance across the wall with so many kanji symbols decorating it. Stroking his snow white beard, Totosai contemplated the still smooth patch of rock next to the name of his latest creation. Another Takahashi, another work of art.

Grunting, the old demon pushed himself back into a sitting position, then fully onto his feet once again. He strode over to the still empty slot on the rock surface and picked up his chisel and stone hammer. With the skill of expert hands, he carved the symbols needed into the rock face next to the existing ones that spelled out the name of a masterpiece, Tetsuaiga. When finished he stepped back to admire his handy work.

"Takahashi InuYasha," he shook his wrinkled head, "That whelp is gonna have one hell of a ride."

-

* * *

**A/N:** Yatta! First chapter down! I think it came out relatively well. This is really something for me to do when I have a little spare time, which means holidays and weekends when I'm not too tired from my hectic weeks, so don't expect me to update on a regular basis. I don't know how many chapters this is going to be, but I do know it'll be longer than my other chapter story, so I could be working on this for some time. I really hope that doesn't stop you from sticking around to see what I come up with though. I love getting reviews, as all authors do, so tell me what you thinkP! Oh, and I'm not quite sure I like the title for this. If you can think of a better one let me hear it. Thanks in advance. Made tsugi no kai, minna-san! Ja, ne! 


	2. It Will Be Mine

A/N: Konichiwa minna-san

**A/N: **Konichiwa minna-san! Chapter two out and ready! I know, it took me a while(that's the understatement of the year), but I did say it was only a spare time project. This is why I usually only write oneshots, I don't leave the people who read them in suspense for months at a time. Anyway, I got an ok response for the first chapter, so let's see how this one goes. And as always, Review please! Tanoshii omoi o suru!

* * *

-

_**Two**_

-

Beep! Beep!

The morning alarm went off loud and clear in the Takahashi's master bedroom. Too loud if you asked the larger of the two lumps under the sheets of the huge four-poster bed. A tired sounding grunt could be heard from said lump as it rolled partway over on to its side, swung an arm around, and brought a heavy clawed hand down on the snooze button before promptly rolling back over to try and go back to sleep in the darkened room. No sooner had InuTaisho settled back down to cuddle with his still sleeping mate, resting his nose in the crook of her neck to breathe in her sweet scent, the door to the elegantly decorated room swung open to reveal a grinning, ten-year-old InuYasha. Dressed in a pair of slightly baggy blue-jeans and a red T-shirt all ready to get the day started, the rambunctious boy ran into the room and launched himself onto his parents' bed.

"Otou-san! Come on it's time to get up!" He said bouncing on the overstuffed bedding, bright amber eyes brimming with enthusiasm. InuTaisho simply screwed his eyes shut, groaned, and pulled his mate closer to him. "Tou-san, come on!" The silver haired boy put his small hands on his father's back and shook him with all the strength he could muster…which still didn't do much, but it got the point across. "Tou-san!"

The young, dark haired woman still held tightly in her mate's grasp yawned and slowly blinked her brown eyes open at the ruckus her only son was making. She poked her captor's side to try and get his attention. "Your son wants you to get up koibito," she whispered, her voice still hazy with sleep.

"Before the alarm goes off he's your son," the demon mumbled in reply.

The woman giggled softly at the feel of his lips on her shoulder. "The alarm did go off, koishii. You just hit the snooze button to make believe it wasn't time to get up yet." He gave her a playful nip with his fangs.

InuYasha flopped down on top of his father in a huff. "Tou-san, you promised." He complained, a childish scowl marring his cute face. One look at his youngest son's face and the mighty dog demon sighed.

"Alright, alright, I'm up. Why don't you go down and see what's for breakfast. We'll be down in a bit." InuTaisho yawned, giving a rather imposing view of his demonic fangs, and pushed off the bed slightly.

InuYasha's face brightened instantly as he jumped off his father on to the cream carpet of the floor. "Yes!" he shouted before he ran out of the room and down to the kitchen, his silver locks flaring out behind him.

-

The early morning sun shone warmly at the T.H. Inc. campus as InuTaisho, Izayoi, and their ten year old son walked toward the main building. It was an exciting day for the rambunctious young hanyou because, finally, he would get to see the _whole_ campus. He'd been confined to the school building for _way_ too long. He hated it there; all the teachers treated him like he was still a baby. He scrunched his nose at the thought in distaste, but it quickly vanished as the lobby doors of the main building swished open. It was replaced with a grin as he tugged his mother's hand. "Come on Kaa-san, hurry up!"

Izayoi chuckled, "Calm down InuYasha. It's not like the campus is going to disappear if you don't see is _right_ _now_. Besides, it might be a little more interesting if you gave everyone a chance to start working."

The boy pouted. "I know that, but I just don't _want_ to wait around for everyone to get here. I want to explore it _now_."

Izayoi squeezed her son's hand affectionately and smiled down at him. "My, so impatient. You aren't going to run away from your father if his old bones slow him down, are you?"

InuTaisho gave his wife a playful glair. "Hey, who are you calling old?" he joked.

"Maybe not in youkai terms, but you are positively ancient in human." The sparkle in Izayoi's dark eyes betrayed her serious tone.

"Well then, it's a good thing I'm no human, isn't it." The demon lord shot back. InuYasha loved it when his parents bantered like this. It made him feel lighthearted and safe. It was impossible for the young hanyou to imagine a time when he wouldn't feel like that. As long as he was with his parents, the feelings would always be there.

With a lull in the conversation, the small half-demon took the time to look around the elegant, professionally decorated lobby. At first glance anyone would have expected to see stoic employees arriving to begin another monotonous work day with its dark green, large patterned carpeting and mahogany front desks, but if one looked closer they would be surprised by kind, yet slightly sleepy smiles of the early-bird workers seeming happy to start their day. The small family walked towards a row of elevators on the right wall of the large room and boarded one whose doors immediately swished open with the enthusiastic press of the 'up' button by none other than InuYasha. InuTaisho chuckled at his son's frustration at not being able to reach the top button to their required floor and promptly lifted the boy up to press it, quickly pressing another button, of the floor his mother worked about halfway up the column, as his father began to put him down. The typical bell sounded as the doors closed, shutting out the semi-noisy lobby for the quiet of the elevator. InuYasha fidgeted with his child-sized denim jacket out of impatience as he watched as each number lit up as the metal box slid slowly up to the desired floors. When the number of the second button InuYasha pressed lit up the car stopped and the doors slid open again with another ding.

Izayoi turned to her mate and son. "Well, this is where I get off. Public Relations doesn't supervise its self you know." She joked with her usual gentle smile. InuTaisho chuckled at his mate's attempt at a joke and leaned over their son for their usual kiss. The young hanyou cringed as he looked up at his parents, his face contorted in disgust. The two ended the loving gesture with another peck on the lips before the raven haired woman knelt down and gave her only son a kiss on his forehead. "Be good, InuYasha. Try not to be too reckless and run off like you did last month to avoid your math test, ne?" She gave his ears an affectionate tweak.

"Hai, Kaa-san." InuYasha drawled in response. Why did she always have to bring that up? It wasn't _that _big of a deal. Kagome thought it was fun. He smirked at the thought as he watched his mother walk out towards her office, looking every bit the professional she was in her light purple business suit, her black pumps not making a sound on the carpeted floor. The metal door slid shut once more and the boy's anxiousness and excitement returned. It was only him and his father now. It wasn't the first time he'd been to his father's top floor office, but this was special. Today he got to be with his father for the entire day. To see how he worked and what exactly he did. Finally, he swore the elevator had been going extra slow just to spite him, they reached the top floor and the bell sounded again as the doors slid open to reveal another, smaller lobby with a secretary, already on the phone, behind a lower wooden desk, her hands furiously tapping away at the keyboard. This was the floor where all of the most important people of the company worked. As soon as the doors were fully open, InuYasha raced out of the confined space, ignoring the doors marked 'President', 'Vice President', and the like, heading straight for the large dark wood door that read 'Takahashi InuTaisho' with the letters 'CEO' directly above the name.

InuTaisho chuckled in his deep voice as he watched his youngest son, the boy's waist length silver hair flying out behind him as he ran. The older demon walked at a deliberately slower pace, taking time to leisurely nod a greeting to his busily working secretary, receiving a kind smile in return, all of this practically making InuYasha squirm with impatience. InuTaisho sighed as he passed the one door, right next to his own, without a name or position written on it. It had been a little over four years since the accident that took away his best friend and business partner. Higurashi Itazura had been in a, supposedly, freak car accident on his way home from work. It had all seemed extremely suspicious to InuTaisho, but there was nothing that could have been investigated and no one to press charges against. The man in the other vehicle, a half-ton truck, had also died in the crash. Itazura's young daughter, Kagome, had only just turned five at the time and really didn't understand everything that was going on. All the girl knew was that she was scared and wanted her father and he wasn't coming to comfort her like he always had. InuTaisho was just glad the girl had not lost her mother as well. The only reason she had not been in the car coming home from work with her husband was because she was home taking care of their new-born son, Souta. It had been a hard time for both the Higurashi and the Takahashi families.

InuTaisho shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts and looked back down at his own son, who was almost jumping up and down with impatience. Continuing his earlier game the older demon made a show of looking through his pockets for the room key before finding it and slowly bringing it towards the lock and…stopping. "Tou-san!" InuYasha exclaimed in an exasperated voice.

"Alright, alright." InuTaisho chuckled again and made quick work of unlocking and opening his office door. The young half-demon bolted into the room and went straight for the floor to ceiling windows that made up the back wall, throwing his small jean jacket on the large, leather swivel-chair of his father's desk as he passed. He pressed his small nose up against the glass, his miniature claws making clicking sounds as they, too, made contact with the window to give himself support. InuTaisho went first to his large desk to start up his computer and check his date book before coolly drifting over to join his son in watching as more and more people, humans and demons alike, arrived and headed towards their respective buildings. Almost all of the large complex could be seen from those windows, being on the top floor of the tallest building on the property. The great demon InuTaisho stood behind his young son and watched as the last of the colorful, mid-autumn, dawn sky faded away to reveal the brilliant blue of a new day.

The campus looked as it did every day. The large white and terracotta colored pavers marked the spaces around the buildings of the property, distinctly marking the boundaries of the campus, sectioning it off from the rest of the surrounding blocks of Tokyo city. People moved from building to building, running errands and stopping to talk to familiar faces that they met on the way. Parents brought their children to the school building for their daily lessons, or to the small on-grounds park to play a little before they were cooped up inside for most of the day. InuYasha smirked once again at the thought that _he_ didn't have to go there that day; _he _got to skip school to be with his father. Too bad he couldn't get Kagome out of there too… It was always more fun with her around. She laughed at his jokes and thought his ideas of 'adventures' were more fun than anything. He looked back at the small figures he knew to be people, bustling around on the walkways twenty stories below him. Maybe he could catch a glimpse of her as her mother brought her in to school…

InuTaisho watched the boy's eyes move from one part of the grounds to another, taking in all there was to see. "You see that son?" he broke the compatible silence with his deep yet warm baritone voice. InuYasha gazed up at his father only to realize he was referring to the campus and people as a whole. He nodded tentatively and turned his attention back out the window. "Everything within the border of the city streets surrounding the campus belongs to this company…and the company belongs to me. Every person, human and demon, who works within that border, works for me. It is my job to keep everything in this company running smoothly. To…protect the campus and its workers in a sense. I look out for their well-being, and make sure that nothing poses a threat to anything or anyone under my jurisdiction. It is a lot of hard work and a great deal of responsibility, but rewarding as well. There will come a day when the responsibility of running this corporation will be passed from its home with me, on to you as its new CEO."

InuYasha's eyes widened just a fraction, a grin forming on his young features. "All of this is going to be mine?" the childish wonder and joy were obvious in his voice. But, he frowned again when he looked off in a certain direction. "But what about that blocked off building? It looks like it's falling apart." He indicated the other side of the property off the right, almost out of the border itself. "Why isn't it kept as nice as the rest of the campus?"

The full demon's features hardened and his voice became firm. "You must promise me you'll never go there. That building is dangerous, and is marked for demolition for a reason." InuYasha gave a disappointed sigh and gave an acknowledging grunt. InuTaisho smiled at his son and placed a large, clawed hand on the youngster's head, which only came up to around his waist, careful not to crush his ears. "But other than that, yes, InuYasha. Someday this office will be yours. And someday you will be the one calling the shots for the corporation."

InuYasha's grin only became wider. "You mean that someday _I'm_ going to be the one telling people how to do things, and they're actually gonna haveta _listen_ to me?"

The older demon tweaked one of the furry dog ears on the younger's head. "These ears of yours seem to only hear what they want to hear. Being CEO doesn't _only_ deal with telling people what to do."

The boy turned excitedly to his father. "You mean there's _more_?"

The full demon chuckled. "InuYasha..." he reprimanded with a smile. He sighed and turned from the window. "Why don't we get this day started, hm?" InuYasha quickly spun around with an even larger grin than before and raced after his father, going back out the door, down the short hall, and into the elevator they had come from not that long beforehand. Though InuYasha loved touring the large office building and seeing what the people in the other offices actually _did, _he quickly began to tire of being inside and only seeing the grays and browns of the very business atmosphere of the main building. He was glad to get back out in the sunshine once they finished with that building and InuTaisho began to take him to the surrounding buildings. As they walked they were greeted by almost everyone they passed and, in kind, InuTaisho greeted all of them by name.

The young hanyou looked up to his father. "How can you remember all of their names like that? Do you know _all_ of the people that work here by name?"

InuTaisho nodded while only briefly looking down at his son. "I make it part of my job to know the name of everyone who works for me. I want everyone in this company to treat each other like family, and I can't be a part of that family if I don't even know who everyone is."

InuYasha nodded slowly. "So does that mean that you're like…the father of the company-family-thing then?"

"In a way, but I prefer to have everyone treat me like just another worker rather than the head of all of it most of the time. Like equals."

InuYasha's brow furrowed. "But Dad, didn't you say they all work for you? Doesn't that mean they're lower in status than you?"

InuTaisho sighed heavily. "Yes, but you must understand something InuYasha. In a company such as this, everyone depends on each other to get their job done. If I did not do my part of coordinating and applying the work my employees do to keep the company going, then all of their hard work would go to waste. But, if my employees didn't even _do_ the work that needs to be done for the company, then there is no way I _could_ keep the company going. Though I am seen as the most important person here, there is no way I could even dream of running this company all by myself. So, in the end, all of us depend on each other. Do you understand?"

The young hanyou took a second to process what his father had told him before nodding slowly. "Yeah, I guess I get it."

InuTaisho smiled and gave the small hand held in his own larger one a slight squeeze. "Good." With that knowledge now under his belt, InuYasha found it much easier to pay attention to everything his father decided he needed to know. They spent the next few hours visiting the rest of the buildings and the rest of the campus itself, though conspicuously steering clear of the dilapidated building he'd seen from his father's office. After seeing all of the buildings, the father and son pair started on their way back to InuTaisho's office at a leisurely pace, enjoying the sunshine of the day to its fullest, one or the other making a joke now and then. Halfway back their playful banter was interrupted by a familiar, high-pitched voice.

"InuTaisho-sama!" the flea-demon shouted, "There you are! I've been searching the whole campus for you." He hopped up on a convenient, eye-level branch of a nearby sapling so as to talk comfortably with the larger full demon.

"Good morning Miyoga. Is there something the matter?" InuTaisho asked in a relaxed, but inquisitive tone.

"No, sir. I was simply trying to find you to give you the annual morning report." The flea squeaked importantly.

InuTaisho chuckled. "Alright then, have at it."

"Well, stocks seem to be headed up once again due to…" the tiny demon began to ramble, and InuYasha had no interest in listening to the annoying little flea. Needing an outlet for his impatience, he began to occupy himself with trying to swat a rather persistent fly that kept landing on his shoulder. Getting increasingly frustrated with the small insect, the young hanyou gave out a small growl.

Picking up the low vibrations in his son's throat, InuTaisho diverted his attention from the still talking flea, to the boy. Kneeling down to his level, the full demon watched as the fly once again landed on the red-clad shoulder. "What are you doing, InuYasha?"

"Trying to get this stupid fly to leave me alone."

InuTaisho smirked and waved the pesky bug away. "Let me show you a better way." He turned toward Miyoga, who was still rambling. "Miyoga, could you come here a second? Just hop up on Inu's shoulder."

"-Or so says the…huh? Oh, right, right." The flea complied distractedly. "What is this for exactly?"

"A pest-swatting lesson." the larger demon grinned.

"Ah, yes, of cour- No! Please, InuTaisho-sama!" he tried to reason, but InuTaisho simply shook his head, causing his high ponytail to sway.

"Just close your eyes and bare it." Grudgingly, Miyoga did as instructed, but tried to listen to what his boss was telling his son. As the flea once again tried to reason with the whispering demons he was suddenly flicked, forcibly, off the boy's shoulder by a small, clawed forefinger. The force of the blow caused the tiny advisor to fly into the air and crash into the wall of the building just behind the two youkai. As said youkai laughed hysterically, an almost inaudible ringing sound came from the bushes Miyoga had fallen into. The flea demon climbed onto a stable leaf and spat out a small peace of greenery that had been forced into his mouth before he answered his custom-made, nano-cell phone.

InuTaisho and InuYasha were just getting over their side-splitting laughter when Miyoga's panicked voice reached their ears. "InuTaisho-sama! There's an emergency in the accounting building. They need you there as soon as possible!" The company's CEO sobered immediately and gave a firm nod, turning to the direction of said building. InuYasha jumped forward and grabbed his father's hand.

"Can I come?" the boy asked excitedly. InuTaisho frowned.

"I'm sorry InuYasha, you'd only be in the way. School should be letting out soon. Why don't you go find Kagome and play around with her?" InuYahsa huffed as his father turned, but let go of his hand dejectedly. "Miyoga, see him back to my office and then come to the accounting building to help with whatever the problem is." And with that the full-demon business tycoon ran in the direction of the desired building with his long silver hair flaring out at the ends from the high ponytail and mat-finish dress shoes tapping in a quick rhythm on the pavement.

-

Miyoga left the young hanyou in the ground floor lobby of the main building. InuYasha, still pouting, made his way to the top floor, ignoring the overly chipper secretary at the main desk when she threw out a greeting at him as he walked by. He was supposed to spend the whole day with his father. He had _promised_ for the _whole_ day, to see how the business worked. Why didn't he get to see how his father dealt with a major problem?

"_I'm sorry InuYasha, you'd only be in the way."_

That had hurt. Did his father think he was as much of a trouble-maker as his teacher did? He hoped not. He wasn't that bad. It's just…school was boring. He didn't mean any harm by the little pranks; he only wanted to make school a little more fun. As he neared the end of the hallway, InuYasha looked toward his father's office door and his eyes brightened when he saw it was partially ajar. Since his father was in another building, there was only one person who could be in there. InuYasha ran the rest of the way down the hall and into the large office.

"Hey, Naraku-san!" the boy called out as he skidded through the door, stopping behind a dark haired man. The soul occupant in the room, facing away from the intruder, sneered in annoyance before composing his features in to a somewhat accommodating smirk and turning to face the young hanyou.

"Ah, InuYasha. What are you doing here?" the slight disgust in Naraku's voice went unnoticed by the hyper child. InuYasha grinned up at his father's business associate.

"Tou-san let me skip school and showed me the _whole_ campus." the boy said proudly, "And guess what! Tou-san told me that when I'm older all of it will be mine. When he retires _I'm _gonna take his place as head of the business." he grinned, "Hey, maybe that means someday you'll be _my _business associate, ne?"

Naraku discreetly rolled his eyes. "Oh, _that _should be fun." His voice dripping with disguised sarcasm. _'Great. Just great. The kid hasn't even hit puberty yet and that oversized lug of a demon already bequeaths _my_ position to him. Damn that bastard!'_ he thought angrily. _'A hostile takeover won't be as easy with a hanyou as a human.'_ Suddenly an idea sparked in the cold man's mind. He turned from the child slightly and casually walked towards one of the book cases, his beady red eyes glancing back periodically to make sure his target was paying attention. "So," he started smoothly, "your father showed you the campus, did he?"

"Yup." InuYasha beamed, puffing out his chest.

Naraku took a random book off the shelf and opened it, thumbing through the thin pages; acting as if he were only half interested in the conversation. His eyes trailed back to the dog-eared child again. "He didn't show you that _awful_, _scary_, run-down building on the boarder of the property did he?" mock concern laced his words.

The hanyou sighed disappointedly. "No. He made sure we didn't go anywhere near it."

Naraku nodded absently. "Good. I should say that particular building is no place for a youngster like you."

InuYasha glared. "I'm not just some kid anymore, Naraku-san. Besides, if I'm gonna take over someday, I should at least know what all the buildings are, right?" he asked coaxingly.

Naraku smirked mentally. "No, no, no. There's no reason for you to worry about it. That old, rundown medical lab will be gone by the time you're old enough to take control." InuYasha's face lit up and Naraku's dark eyes widened in faux realization. "Oh, that was _not_ something I was supposed to tell you."

The young hanyou paid no heed to the words. "Really? A real medical lab? Like where they do experiments on people and stuff? Come on Naraku-san, you can tell me!" he pleaded.

The older man seemed to think for a moment. "Well…" he trailed off.

InuYasha clapped his hands together in front of him. "Please?"

A corner of Naraku's thin lips tipped up. "It hasn't been used in _years_, but there are rumors that all the equipment was left in there after the…explosion."

Small amber eyes widened. "Whoa…"

"But," the black haired man held up his palm. "you have to promise me you'll never go in there, InuYasha. We can't have people finding out I slipped up and told you about it, now can we? It's like our little secret…between men. Ok?"

The boy thought for a moment, then acquired a devilish little grin. "Sure, Naraku-san. No one will ever find out."

A large hand came down on the boy's silver-haired head. "That's a good boy. Now, I'm sure school has let out and you wouldn't want to keep your _human _friend waiting, now would you?" the smooth baritone chided.

"Oh, right! I gotta find Kagome. I'll see you latter Naraku-san!" And with that the overly zealous ten year old was out the office door and down the hall, completely forgetting why he'd been in there in the first place. Naraku snapped the book shut and placed it back on the dark wood self, a smug look adorning his features. Now only to wait…

* * *

-

**A/N:** Well, there you go. I know it's not anywhere near as good as it should be after…eww…almost six months of writing it. The truth is there's actually more of it written than this, but it took me a while to realize I could actually post this much as a stand-alone chapter. Stupid I know. It also took longer than I expected because how much I was going to have to write to get to the place I wanted to was daunting me and making me not want to write. But now I'm definitely going to shorted my goals for the chapters and just combine some of them later on. I'm sorry if it seems I'm following too close to the movie. I hope to change that a little once I get past Inu running away. Anyway, I hope you get at least some enjoyment out of this. Review please!P


	3. I Just Can't Wait

**A/N: **Konichiwa minna-san! Wow. Only a little over a month since my last update, that's amazing. A lot better than my five month interval last time. This is part two of what was supposed to be all chapter two. Tanoshii omoi o suru!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own InuYasha or anyone/anything related to the show. All rights reserved for Ramiko Takahashi.

* * *

-

_**Three**_

-

The sun shone brightly over the campus as the children, who had just been released from the confinement of school, played, laughed, and shouted on the provided park equipment. A brisk wind blew up from time to time, playing with the children's hair and clothing. One young girl in particular, who had climbed to the highest point of the jungle-gym, strained her dark eyes in search of her silver-haired playmate. He hadn't been in school that day, the lucky stinker, thus the day had been more boring than usual. She did know, however, that he was, in fact, on campus. He had told her he would meet her when school let out. Thus the reason she was in the position she was. His mother was here…he was not. The girl leaned over the colorful metal railing one again, huffing as another strong breeze whipped her passed-shoulder-length raven hair into her navy eyes. Frustrated, she forcibly shoved the offending locks behind her ear with one hand, only to have them blown into her face yet again, and held her jacket tighter with the other, only to have the cold air find its way in anyway. The pouting child turned when she heard a voice calling to her.

"Kagome, dear! Come down here and let me fix that for you." Her mother called from a bench to the side of the play equipment, indicating the problem with her hair. Kagome sighed and nearly gave her mother a heart attack as she quickly swung down from her perch in a way InuYasha had shown her. Obviously it wasn't the _safest_ way down, but it certainly was the_ fastest_. When she was back on solid ground, the dark haired girl brushed off her green overalls and white blouse of any dirt and trotted over to where both her slightly white-face mother and InuYasha's slightly _giggling_ mother were seated. "Well, _that_ certainly was…exciting." the former of the two stated when her daughter had reached them. She pulled out a hair tie and motioned for her daughter to turn around.

"InuYasha taught me." she said curtly and complied with her mother's wishes. She crossed her arms as she asked, "Were _is_ InuYasha, anyway? He said he'd be here." Izayoi giggled softly once again at the young girl's ire.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon, dear." Mrs. Higurashi replied as she gathered her daughter's hair into a ponytail and wrapped the tie around it several times. As if on cue a familiar shout reached their ears.

"Okaa-san! Kagome!"

"Here he is." Izayoi smiled as her young son ran up to the bench. "Oh, InuYasha, did you run all 

the way here without your jacket? You must be freezing. And look at you, your hair's a mess." She chided and pulled out a small brush from her purse after a small amount of rummaging. InuYasha scowled at the offending item and tried to swat it away only to have his mother get under his offences and get a few strokes through his long hair.

"Okaa" he complained.

"'Bout time you got here Dog-boy." Kagome huffed from beside him. Her hanyou friend opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by her mother.

"Kagome," she admonished, "don't be so rude." She turned to the boy. "Did you have a fun day with your father, InuYasha?"

Said boy rolled his eyes discretely. "Hai, Higurashi-san…arigotou." he added after a small glare from his mother.

"So, why _were_ you late, InuYasha?" Kagome asked, her arms were still folded, though her annoyance seemed to have been replaced with curiosity.

A grin spread across his youthful features, amber eyes bright with mischief. He lowered his voice slightly, "I found this cool place when I was out with my dad."

Kagome's expression lit up to match his. "You mean another adventure?"

The dog-eared boy nodded. "Yeah, it's-"

The two older women smiled secretly to each other. "And where is this 'cool place'?" Izayoi asked teasingly.

InuYasha cringed. "Ahh…over by the cafeteria…"

"The cafeteria? InuYasha we were there yesterday. What could have changed since-?" the nine year old was quickly quieted by a glare from her friend. Her attitude immediately changed as she looked up pleadingly at her mother. "Can I go with him Mama? I kind of want a snack anyway…"

Mrs. Higurashi exchanged glances with her long time friend. "I don't know. It's a bit of a distance don't you think Izayoi?"

The woman's eyes sparkled with laughter. "Oh, I think they'll be fine…" the children grinned at each other, "as long as they take Miyoga along." The grins fell.

"But Okaa, Miyoga's busy. There was an emergency in one of the buildings-"

"That InuTaisho-sama has completely under his control." the flea in question finished, coming out of nowhere.

InuYasha scowled. "Why do you always have to show up when you're not wanted, Miyoga-jiji?"

"InuYasha!" Izayoi glared.

He huffed, "Ok, fine. We'll take him along."

-

Ten minutes later, and more than halfway to the cafeteria building, the two children still had been unable to think of a plan to lose their chaperone. While the youngsters conversed quietly together on the ground, Miyoga bounced ahead on the changing leaves of the greenery lining the walkway. The busy, mostly work related, chatter of the others using the walkways to go to and from different buildings, covered the low conversation being held between the hanyou and human from the keen hearing of the flea youkai.

"So are we really going to get in that much trouble if Miyoga-jiichan goes with us?"

"Yes."

"Oh…So you were specifically told not to go where ever you're taking me."

"Well…Yeah…but if we could just get rid of the stupid flea then no one would have to _know_ I went there."

"You still haven't told me where 'there' is, you know."

InuYasha scowled. "I'll tell you when we lose the old man." He glanced to the tiny hopping bug, and concentrated momentarily before looking to the cafeteria, which was just coming into view. His golden eyes brightened as an evil grin began spreading over his young face. "I think I've got a plan. Just follow my lead when we get in to the lunch room."

The old flea youkai smiled slightly as he looked over at his charges. Their parents would be so happy to know they had little crushes on each other. He wondered if they _knew_ they liked each other. It was _hopelessly _obvious to him, but _they_ were just younglings. He furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. Perhaps if someone were to give them a little nudge. His previously furrowed brow popped back up and his beady eyes brightened. He could do that! Playing matchmaker shouldn't be _that_ hard, right? He'd seen enough people get together in his day that he knew how it worked. It had to be subtle…a smooth transition. Miyoga balled two of his tinny hands, gave a curt nod of determination, and thrust the aforementioned fists into the air. _'Yoush!'_ he took a steadying breath and promptly sprung from a leaf right onto the shoulder of his boss's young son, who quickly cut off his whispered conversation with his playmate.

Miyoga sighed loudly _'OK, think subtlety.' _"It's such a wonderful thing to see that you two are in love already." he stated confidently. Silence. The flea looked up at the two when he realized they had stopped moving as well. Both faces held blank shock as they blinked at their tiny chaperone. 

Miyoga sweatdropped. _'Perhaps that was not as subtle as it should have been.'_

InuYasha and Kagome looked at each other and raised their eyebrows in confusion. "Huh?" they asked at the same time.

"What the hell are you talking about Jijii?" InuYahsa growled.

Miyoga nervously cleared his throat. "Well…I'm just saying that your parents will be happy to know that you two have your little," he coughed, "…crushes. It makes the whole betrothal thing much easier." he finished in a rush.

"Betrothal?" Kagome echoed.

'_Shoot. I am so dead if InuTaisho-sama hears about this.' _The old demon sighed. "Well, I suppose I _have_ to tell them now." he muttered before coughing again and raising his voice in mock confidence, "InuYasha, Kagome, someday you two are going to be mated!"

"What?!" InuYasha almost fell over and molded his face into a look of disgust while Kagome still looked lost.

"Huh? InuYasha? Why is that so bad?"

The young hanyou turned to her and scrunched up his nose. "Kagome, he's _saying_ that we're gonna get married when we're older."

Kagome looked aghast. "What?! I can't marry _you_!" a small blush spread across her cheeks.

Miyoga's face fell. _'This could be bad.'_ He looked up at her. "Well, why not?"

She spluttered. "Cuz…cuz…he's _InuYasha_! It'd be way too…weird." she finished weakly.

"Yeah," her friend nodded in agreement, "We're best friends. We can't be _mates_." the silver haired boy snorted and promptly flicked the flea off his shoulder in the way his father taught him earlyer, "Come on Kagome," he gave her a look, "_I'm _still hungry."

Said girl looked at him in confusion for a moment before remembering _why_ they were there to begin with and agreeing whole-heartedly. "Oh, right! Me too." And with that the friends ran the rest of the way to the cafeteria entrance, hopefully leaving the flea long behind them. As they ran Kagome remembered something. "You said you had a plan to get rid of Miyoga-Ojii-san."

InuYasha nodded. "Just follow my lead, ok?" No sooner did he finish the sentence, Miyoga bounded back up to them.

"You two really shouldn't just run off like that you know. Your parents would not be happy to know that you were alone…together." he thought for a moment, "Or perhaps they would…"



InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest Jijii." he said as the automatic doors to the desired building slid open with a 'whoosh'. The clamor of business men and women on lunch break, and children just out from school getting an afternoon snack filled their ears as the two young friends stepped into the room. People were bustling around getting food and trying to find a place to sit in the crowded space. Realizing he couldn't put his plan into action without actually having food, InuYasha led Kagome to stand in line for the snack counter. Thankfully the line moved relatively quickly, because between Miyoga's constant chattering and the anticipation to get where they were _actually _going, InuYasha was ready to scream. After surviving the snack line, the human and the hanyou were finally armed with a vanilla pudding cup and a chocolate-soft-serve-ice-cream-cone. Now to wait for the perfect moment to-

"Well, well, look who it is. The hanyou and the twerp." a feminine voice sneered.

"Come on Kikyou, the girl isn't as bad as the mutt." this time the voice was male.

-strike. InuYasha mentally grinned. _This_ should be fun. "Buzz off, Wolf-shit." he growled out in mock annoyance. Now normally the dog eared half-demon didn't have to fake anything when he encountered the two sixth graders, Kouga and Kikyou, but right now all he wanted to do was jump for joy and put his plan into action. But no, this had to be well calculated.

Kikyou looked haughtily down at the two younger, and therefore inferior, _children_. "Really Higurashi, how can you stand to be around such filth."

Kagome gave a rather impressive growl and stepped forward angrily. "That 'filth', as you call him, is going to be your _boss_ someday Kikyou. Or have you forgotten that you said you want to have the same job that your mom has?"

The older girl flipped her ponytail snootily and snorted in a most unlady-like manner. "That's different." she stated lamely.

"She's right though Higurashi. You shouldn't hang around with _him_." Kouga informed arrogantly.

Fiery blue eyes glared. "Why not?"

"He's hanyou." the wolf demon answered confidently.

"So?" she challenged.

"He's weak."

The raven haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?" all present looked at her stunned. She didn't deny it? "Then why do you care if _I_ hang out with him? _I'm_ even weaker than _he_ is. Kikyou's weaker than you too. Why do you hang out with her?" said girl looked insulted.

"The point he's getting at,_ little girl_, is that he's tainted." Kikyou stated with her hands on her 

jean-mini-skirt clad hips.

Kagome glared harder. "Then I ask again. Why do care what _I_ do? My Obaa-chan was Chinese, and my Father was part Pilipino. Does that make _me_ tainted? I'm not 100 Japanese." InuYasha was having the time of his life watching his best friend continue to out do the two baka at their own game. He just needed something to justify what he wanted to do…

"But you're _human_." Kikyou persisted_._

Kagome rolled her dark blue eyes. "And we're all intelligent life forms-Oh! Wait, I forgot Kouga was here. Never mind." Kagome said in an overly dramatic manner, bopping herself on the forehead at her 'stupidity', while behind her InuYasha cracked into hysterics, and in front of her Kikyou tried to hold in a giggle.

Kouga steamed in anger as everyone laughed at him. His hand shot out and grabbed the younger girl's arm violently. "Listen here you-!"

InuYasha's grin diapered immediately, a fierce scowl taking its place. "Oi! Let go of her, Wolf-shit!" he growled and promptly smashed the almost forgotten ice-cream cone into the ookami-youkai's face causing him to yowl and release his hold on Kagome. Realizing this was what InuYasha was hoping for, Kagome yelled and threw her opened pudding cup in Kikyou's direction, intentionally missing and hitting another one of her classmates.

This person, apparently being someone _not_ to mess with, growled as he wiped the off-white goop from his face. "Who threw that!" he bellowed, causing much of the loud conversation in the room to cease.

When no one answered the call, another voice quickly filled the relative quiet with his own excited yell. "Food Fight!"

InuYasha and Kagome looked at one another. Bingo.

As if this were some magic phrase, all the children and even some of the younger adults began to catapult food at each other. In no time the room had digressed in to one giant ball of messy chaos. With food flying, people slipping, and Miyoga jumping around trying to help quell the madness, it was a synch to dive under a table and out of sight completely unnoticed. Crawling on hands and knees, the two children made their way to the back of the room to one of the fire exits located there. This made avoiding globs of mushy food slightly more difficult, but it didn't wipe the grins from the nine and ten-year-old's faces. Once there, the door was quickly dealt with and the two friends escaped seemingly unobserved.

The two tumbled out to the back of the large building into the dirt laughing at how well the plan played out. "That was brilliant!" Kagome gasped out.

"You did a great job of starting it all off. Who would've though little miss _Kagome_ was such a spitfire?" InuYasha mocked as he turned to her.

She giggled again. "Yeah. I guess I hang around you too much after all." her joke was met with silence as she turned to her friend. His face was back in a scowl of displeasure and he was _glaring _at her. Kagome stopped laughing and sobered immediately. "Oh, come on Inu. You know I didn't really mean it don't you?" he didn't answer, "InuYasha?"

"Your hair's up." he stated flatly.

Kagome absently played with her ponytail. "Yeah, so?"

"Take it out." he growled.

The blue-eyed girl glared back. "Why should I? You have no right to dictate how I should look."

"It's better down. You look like Kikyou when you have it up." he grabbed for the hair-tie.

Kagome gasped and move away. "InuYasha! Don't even joke like that!"

"Who says I'm joking?" he made another go.

"InuYasha!" he used his demon speed to get behind her and reached for the sparkly-green cord. But Kagome acted quicker than he had thought she would. As fast as she could, the young girl rammed her elbow into her friend's stomach, swept his feet out from under him with her leg, balancing herself with a hand on the ground, and placed a sneaker-clad foot in the middle of the sprawled out hanyou's chest. He lay there for a moment recovering from the attack before he pushed Kagome's foot off of him and began to stand up.

"Ow. I should never've taught you that move." he grouched as he rubbed his sore middle.

Kagome smiled cutely. "Well, I'm glad you did. You said to use it if I ever got attacked, and you _were_ attacking me InuYasha Takahashi." she finished sternly.

"I meant when _other_ people attack you! I didn't teach you so it could be used against me!" he explained.

Kagome smirked and turned to start walking. "Well that's what you get Dog-boy."

It was InuYasha's turn to smirk. "Where do you think you're going wench? The place I wanna show you is this way." he pointed a clawed finger in the opposite direction she was walking.

Kagome stopped and turned around. "Well how was I supposed to know?" she defended, though a small blush spread across the bridge of her nose. As they walked together away from the cafeteria building and toward their real destination, their shoes kicking up dirt as they went, InuYasha kept giving the offending hair-tie quick glances. Just as they were able to wade out of the overgrown mass of bushes separating them from their target, InuYasha struck again, and was successfully able to snatch the glittery binding from his friend's hair.

"Hey!" she squealed as the long raven locks fell around her shoulders, and the hanyou next to her laughed in triumph. As fast as she was able, Kagome, again, elbowed the dog-eared boy in the midsection and finished with her foot on his sternum. Holding him there, she picked up the band he'd taken to find it slit in two. She glared heatedly at the boy grinning sheepishly at her. "I really liked this one, InuYasha." Kagome complained as she allowed her friend to stand.

"Well _sor-ry_. But you really did look like-" he cut himself off mid sentence.

Kagome let up her glair and turned to him, concerned. "InuYasha? Are you ok?"

"Look." he answered in excitement. She did so and gaped at the sight.

"The building your dad wants to take down? _This_ is where you wanted to take me?" She asked incredulously, looking up at the darkened windows, broken glass, and dented double doors whose padlock and chain now lay cut in the overgrown weeds.

InuYasha grinned. "_This_ is the old medical lab."

-

* * *

**A/N:** Yay! Another chapter down. Honestly, I'm not that happy with it…then again, I rarely say I _am_ happy with the things I write. Anyway, don't expect another update any time soon. This is the start of my junior year, so most of my time is going to be eaten up by school and state/national testing. I'll try to get my lazy ass to the computer now and then, but I'm not promising anything. Hope you got at least _some_ enjoyment out of this installment. REVIEW please! Ja, ne!


	4. Elephent Graveyard

**A/N:** Konichiwa minna-san! Finally, the _long_ awaited fourth chapter. Blame my muse! She'll disappear for months at a time and then show up when I have no time to write. I really am sorry for the long wait. I hope I can update sooner next time, but I don't want to make any promises. I hope this chapter placates you at least a little! Tanoshii omoi o suru!

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

* * *

-

_**Four**_

-

Both youngsters stared in aw of the broken down building. It had obviously once been just as much part of the campus as the next building, but now it seemed extremely set apart…isolated. It wasn't _that_ tall, only five or six stories, and seemed almost striped with windows; one layer of cracked and broken glass, one layer of dirty, slightly crumbling masonry, and so on. The fourth story looked the worst. Like some explosion occurred there decades before. It wasn't just the structure that looked menacing, though. The ground around it, too, looked dead and unwelcoming. Not a blade of grass graced the hard dusty soil, nor did leaves seem to consent to grow on the few, old, gnarled trees in the area.

They walked slowly toward the large, metal double doors that looked as though they had been forced open. All they could really see through the opening between the doors was pitch blackness. A high-pitched creak was emitted when InuYasha pushed one door further open.

"Are you sure about this?" Kagome asked quietly, "We don't know what could be in there."

InuYasha huffed and rolled his eyes. "That's why we're going _in_, Kagome. So we can find out what's in there. Now stop being such a baby and come on!" He pushed a little harder on the door and slipped inside and out of sight. Kagome bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before following after.

The light from the few windows at the other end of the building only did so much in the dark hallway they had entered into. Though InuYasha's eyes adjusted almost instantly, Kagome could barely see five feet in front of her. "InuYasha?" her voice trembled slightly.

Said hanyou sighed. "I'm right here Kagome. Just stay close and you won't get lost." He held out his clawed hand, to which the nervous girl ignored in favor of latching on to the outstretched arm attached to it. The young dog-eared boy rolled his eyes again. "Humans are so weak."

Kagome glared at her friend. "I'm not weak, Inu. It's just scary in here. There could be a lot of dangerous stuff around."

"Keh. Danger doesn't scare me. I'm half demon, and demons don't get scared." InuYasha smirked confidently. "Now come on, let's see what's still in here." With that the boy began walking down the hallway, leading his fearful friend further into the deserted building, their footsteps echoing off the tiles as they walked.

They had come into a side entrance to a hall of offices, or rather, what had been offices. Now they were just dirty, empty rooms. They stepped carefully around randomly scattered debris as they moved toward the lit staircase at the end of the passage. It was obvious how long the place had been untouched by the amount of dust that was made visible in the streams of filtered light in the stairwell.

As two sets of cautious, curious eyes peered up to the next landing, wondering if they should take the risk and go up, a small sound was heard. So feint and so quick, it left them both wondering if they had heard it at all. A soft footstep, a flutter of the wind. Both youngsters froze in place, barely daring to breath, lest the sound repeat itself. It was several seconds stuck in suffocating, unmoving silence before either dared to move again. The two children looked at each other warily. Kagome bit her lip anxiously. "Do you think there's someone up there?"

InuYasha strained his dog-like ears and sniffed cautiously. "I can't tell. If there is, then we're downwind of them, but I don't hear anything." His face gained a determined look, "Let's go."

They crept up the metal steps slowly, always looking up to make sure nothing was waiting for them at the next landing. As they reached the top, Kagome's foot caught slightly on the stair causing her to fall forward, taking her hanyou friend, to whose arm she was still attached, with her.

"Kagome!" the young half-demon yelled irritably.

"Gomen! Gomen!" she winced.

"Why are you always so clumsy?!" He scowled. But he was met with silence. Kami, he didn't hurt her feelings did he? She always got so weepy when she was upset. When he looked up at her, not to see her eyes tearing, but rather transfixed on their new surroundings. "Kagome?" he questioned, seeing the stunned look on her face.

"Look…" came her whispered reply. The boy complied and turned his head toward the room in front of them. The sight stilled him as well. Laid out before them was a huge expanse of dusty countertops, broken and overturned beakers, strangely colored liquids, and large metal machines. In short, it looked like a disaster area. The room must have been almost as big as the floor of the building itself. There were no windows along any walls, probably to ensure no outside influences acting on the experiments, so this floor had to be one of the solid looking layers of the building that they had seen outside. The two friends slowly rose to their feet, an awed expression on both their faces. The thin strands of a spider's web tickled Kagome's fingers as she absently put her hand to the wall, steadying herself as she stood. Suddenly she felt the sensation of long, hairy fingers tapping on her outreached arm. Her head whipped around in fear to be met with the sight of a large black-brown creature crawling on her skin. "Ahhhh!!" she screamed and frantically shook the palm-sized animal off the offended appendage.

InuYasha jumped into a defensive mode, spinning around to see what was attacking. He was met with the sight of a panting, wide-eyed Kagome, one hand clutching the fabric over her heart. "What was that all about Wench?!" he yelled when he was sure there was no danger, "You nearly blew my ears out!"

"R-Really b-big sp-spider." she panted.

InuYasha relaxed his stance. "That's it?"

"What do you mean 'that's it'?" she glared, "It was huge!" she threw her hands up in exaggeration of its size.

The hanyou huffed. "Well, it's gone now." He looked around at the still unchanged room around them. "Now let's go. I wanna see if there's anything interesting in here."

Kagome glared at his back as she followed him through the dusty rows of work counters and overturned stools, stepping as cautiously as possible through the dirty space, arms clutched tightly to her chest to keep from touching anything unpleasant. Dark blue orbs darted from place to place. It felt like they were being watched. Maybe this _wasn't_ such a good idea after all. She glanced at her playmate. A serious look was ingrained on his face as he searched for something, anything to have a story to tell about. _He _didn't seem worried, so maybe she was just being paranoid. A rustle of crumpled paper was heard as a chilly wind picked up and brushed against her bare calves…wait, wind? Her heart raced, her breath quickened. They were inside, there wasn't supposed to be any wind! A startled scream was ripped from her small throat as she tried to get away from the supposed-to-be-non-existent wind. In her panic, her ankles caught on themselves and with her balance compromised, Kagome slammed into InuYasha's back, sending them both tumbling to the floor once again with a crash of bodies and broken glass.

"Kagome!" the dog demon roared, "I thought we got over this crashing to the ground thing!"

"But InuYasha!" she protested, "I felt _wind_! Didn't you?"

The young boy glared. "Wind? Why the hell is _that_ a problem?"

"Because we're _inside_!" the still panicked girl insisted, "There isn't supposed to be _wind_ indoors!"

A slow, sultry chuckle snaked its way out from somewhere in the room. "Not very bright, are you boy?" The children's heads shot up at the new voice. A quick search revealed a dark-haired woman, seemingly in her late twenties, clad in a burgundy, skirted business suit, matching both her eyes and lipstick. Plain black heals capped shapely, crossed legs as the woman gazed down from atop one of the many filing cabinets, absently tapping a folded fan against her lap.

"Wh-Who are you…?" Kagome's voice quavered as she stared up from her spot on the laminate floor.

The woman smiled sharply, a malicious glint visible in her eyes. "Oh, just the wind…" the fan snapped open, "Dance of Blades!" Without a second's delay, several large, glowing crescents came hurtling towards the youngsters. They scrambled away as fast as they could, trying to maintain their balance, narrowly escaping the cutting blades of light. The human and half-demon looked back to see five long gashes in the floor where they'd just been, as if some very large, wild demon had tried to take a swipe at them. The humanoid woman that had been the actual cause for the marks jumped effortlessly off her perch, landing with barely a sound, and called her attack again. More glowing crescents flew at the children, forcing them to run and doge for a second time. This time though, they didn't waste time looking back at their assailant. InuYasha searched frantically for an escape, quickly locating another staircase to their right. The white-haired boy grabbed his frightened friend's hand and pulled her towards the way out. The burgundy clad demoness raised her fan a third time, sneering at her targets. "How bothersome."

InuYasha pulled his young playmate toward the salvation of the staircase, trying to keep his speed just slow enough so she could keep up. He could hear her frantic footfalls behind him, the panic and exhaustion from dodging the periodic attacks quickening her breaths into fearful pants. He cursed himself for wanting to come here in the first place.

The call came again and the young half demon hissed in pain as one of the crescent shaped blades sliced into his right cheek as it shot by. Oddly enough, he couldn't help but think how, despite the pain, it had felt like nothing more than a cutting wind.

Finally they reached the stairwell, only to find the one way to go was up. Their salvation seemed merely a means of prolonging the inevitable. If they couldn't escape the building, the red-eyed demoness would, eventually, catch them. With no other way out, the two companions scrambled up the stairs as fast as their short legs could carry them.

The children's pursuer nonchalantly walked up to the bottom of the staircase, watching as her targets turned the corner of the next landing. This is why she swore never to have kids; they never kept still. Her heels clicked in time with her slow steps as she ascended the flight of stairs. At the top she emerged into a wide hallway with closed office doors lining either side. She shifted her weight to one foot and stood there a moment to decide her next move, absentmindedly opening and closing her white and red hand fan. The little brats could be in any one of the vacant, dusty rooms, and they sure as hell wouldn't come out on their own. What to do…? She grunted in an annoyed manner, flicked the fan open sharply, and gave it a powerful wave in the direction of the offices. A sudden gust of wind sprang out of nowhere, causing all of the doors to slam open as it passed. Two shrieks arose, quickly followed by their sources sprinting out of one of the newly opened rooms. _'Bingo.'_

"Dance of the Dragon!" The air in the enclosed space quickly began spinning in on itself, forming one large tornado-like whirlwind as the woman called her new attack. Both youngsters could hear the wind whip around their ears and feel the pressure in the hall drop suddenly as the twister drew closer despite their efforts to out run it. InuYasha pulled Kagome along behind him by their still joined hands. The hanyou could tell she was starting to tire out from all the frantic movement, but they couldn't stop now. He could feel the bond between their hands slipping as the strong winds pulled her backwards. He tried to tighten his grip, but the exertion and fear had made their palms slick with sweat. If he tried to hold on any tighter, it would only serve to injure her fragile human bones. The dog-eared boy looked back as the sounds of his friend's struggling reached him. Her eyes were closed against the stinging wind, her face scrunched with her effort to hang on to his hand. The next stairway was close, if they could only get there…But it was not to be.

Just yards from their next checkpoint, the wind speed became too much. Kagome was ripped from his grasp with such force from the encroaching whirlwind, that she was picked up and thrown several feet into one of the walls lining the hall. Her scream was clearly audible above the din of the spinning air. InuYasha whipped around as fast as he could, his ears flattening against his head in fear. Damn him for wanting to come in here. Damn him for not listening when his father told him to stay away from this place.

Fighting against the harsh gale, InuYasha made his way to the wall and hugged it close for as much support as possible. Slowly he began inching toward where he could see Kagome clinging to a doorframe to keep herself anchored. When he got within reach, he huddled in close, wrapping one arm securely around her back to help her hold on. Clamping his eyes shut, the white-haired ten-year-old prayed to every kami he knew that the onslaught would end soon.

As the twister continued down the rest of the hall, its strength began to dissipate, the wind speed lessening, until it died out all together. Despite the fact that the fierce pulling of the wind was gone, InuYasha and Kagome held still, heads down, eyes shut, afraid moving would only make things worse. When it seemed nothing more was to happen, InuYasha lifted his head slightly, raising his dog-like ears from their pinned back position, listening for more danger. He cringed as a frustrated voice reached them.

"Are you two _still_ not dead yet?"

Without wasting a second, the hanyou boy took hold of his friend's wrist again and pulled her in the direction of the nearby staircase, narrowly dodging yet another 'dance of blades' attack. The dark-haired woman made an annoyed grunt in the back of her throat as the watched her targets, once again, scamper up the stairway to the next floor. Scowling, she followed after, wondering why on earth _she_ had to get stuck with this job. Couldn't Kanna just use her mirror to draw out their souls and be done with it? The wind demoness barely gave notice when she reached the landing of the next level.

As the youngsters got to the top of the stairs they found themselves in another large laboratory that looked much like the first one, only worse; dust, broken beakers, smashed wooden stools, a couple of overturned filing cabinets, and burn marks on almost anything flammable. InuYasha dragged his panting friend through the maze, ducking behind a work counter when his sensitive hearing caught footsteps on the stairs. When he was sure they could not be seen, he turned to his companion. "Are you alright?" he asked earnestly, his voice low.

"Yeah, I think so." Kagome turned to face him, giving tender attention to a spot on one side of her forehead. InuYasha could see a large bruise darkening under her fingers, a sign she must have hit her head when the wind had ripped her away from him. "What about-" He hushed her mid sentence, peering around the corner of their hiding space to see that the burgundy-clad woman had reached the entrance to the lab. He watched as she stood there a moment, shifting her eyes around the room, looking for any trace of them. Good. If she couldn't find them then she would move on and they would have a chance to get away. No such luck.

"You might as well come out, ya little brats. I know you're in here." The woman smirked as she heard a soft gasp from behind one of the work benches. _'Perfect.' _She raised her fan again. Children were too easily fooled. Of course she hadn't actually _known_ they were still in the room, but her bluff had gotten the desired results, ne? More blades of light were thrown in the direction of the small sound, flushing her targets from their hiding place. A bored expression formed on the woman's face as she watched the two kids ran to escape her attack. Perhaps she should stop playing around and just finish the job. This whole cat-and-mouse thing was getting ridiculous. The dark-haired demoness raised her weapon of choice and, for the first time, paused momentarily to aim before releasing the deadly assault. Four crescent-shaped blades whistled toward the hanyou and human companions. One hit the wall just above their heads, another sliced into the girl's cheek, just below her right eye, the third slashed the boy's arm, but the last never made it to its intended target. Instead, it was intercepted by a metal nozzle. The stunned children's eyes widened as bright orange, blue, and white flames burst forth. An old gas line had still been active…

_"You might as well come out, __ya__ little brats. I know you're in here."_ InuYasha whipped back around, hopping he could keep Kagome from giving away their position. He clapped his hand over her mouth, but too late to stifle her surprised gasp. They barely had time to clumsily abandon their spot before the work station was destroyed by the blades. How had she known they were still in the lab? For all she knew they could have been on the next floor. How had she _known_? They were just getting to the end of the isle when they herd the call of the attack again. They didn't even have enough time to turn the corner. Would it ever end? Both children spun in surprise when one of the blades smashed into the wall above them. A scream was ripped from Kagome's throat as a blade caught her on the cheek, and a hiss was heard from InuYasha as, a moment later, another sliced his left arm just under the shoulder. Together, they saw the fourth one hit as if in slow motion.

At first it seemed like it was heading strait for them, but just as it was going over another work station, it was intercepted by a dulled metal spout. The blade cut through the metal just as smoothly as it had cut through everything else that had been in its path, but as the severed nozzle fell to the floor, what sounded like high pressure air shot out from the leftover stump. It was quickly realized, however, that this wasn't air at all. As soon as the gas hit the blade of youki, it ignited into an intense column of searing hot flames. Time once again sped up as anything and everything flammable that was caught near the white hot column ignited as well, quickly spreading the blaze until the two youngsters were thoroughly trapped by the inferno.

Ignoring the blood and pain coming from his own wound, InuYasha did his best to shield his younger friend from the stinging heat of the fire. As he held her close, he could smell the salt of her tears. Never had she been more afraid. He hated himself for getting her into this mess. The intensity of the heat and the brightness of the flames made it difficult for the hanyou to keep his eyes open. His sensitive nose almost _burned_ from the smoke. He kept his ears firmly pressed against his head in fear that if he didn't, the sensitive flesh would get horribly singed. A sudden blast of air caused InuYasha's long hair to whip around his face and parted the wall of flames enough for the immaculate figure of the demoness to walk toward the frightened pair. The young hanyou held his friend closer, hoping the woman's attention would stay on him. He narrowed his golden eyes into a scathing look and put forth his best growl to try and fend off the woman. Unfortunately, his young age made his best growl anything but menacing.

Their assailant stopped a meter or two away and let forth a low chuckle behind her fan, her eyes dancing with amusement. "Aw, is the puppy angry? What're you going to do puppy? Bite me?" she laughed mercilessly, "Go on, see if growling works now." The demoness took a step forward, the firelight giving her face an ominous glow. All of a sudden, the sound of multiple glass objects shattering came from the other side of the fire. A large, obviously male, figure leapt through the dancing flames, turned in midair, and skidded to a halt between the children and their assailant. As if in answer to the woman's earlier command, he let loose a deep, guttural growl; enough to make anyone without a death-wish quiver in fear. The woman's red eyes widened in astonishment and took two, quick steps backward. The fire reflected in the intruder's tawny eyes, making them look like nothing less than molten gold, it glinted off of the sharp, exposed canines, and glowed off of the long, high, silver-white ponytail. Before she could react, the new demon's claw adorned hand reached out and clamped around the woman's exposed throat.

"Who are you! Who do you work for?!" the silver-haired man barked out, tightening his grip on his pray.

The woman merely smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know…InuTaisho." In a fluid movement, the demoness gave her fan a curt flourish, sending a small, close-range energy blade at her captor, slicing into his forearm, forcing him to release his hold. The head of TH Inc. recoiled with a hiss, but never removed his deadly glare from the woman. As fast as he could, InuTaisho swiped at his enemy with his razor-sharp claws, but the woman was faster. She jumped back out of range and quickly blew a hole in the wall behind them with her fan. They watched as she vaulted over their heads, out into the open air, plucked a small white feather from her bound hair, and threw it beneath her. Amazingly, the feather grew in size until it was large enough for the demoness to make her airborne escape on. InuTaisho gave another angered growl, but decided that the obvious wind demon was not his top priority at the moment. He reached out and lifted both his son and the still whimpering Kagome into his strong arms and jumped through the same hole his opponent had escaped through, using his demonic reflexes to land all three of them safely on the ground. Little to their knowledge, a small, palm-sized spider watched as the burning room was cleared. After staring at the blown-out hole for a few moments, it tuned and crawled across the wall and away from the deadly heat.

Setting both children down, he reached into his pant-pocket and took out a small, black cell-phone to call the fire department about the building. InuYasha and Kagome shared a sullen look, knowing they were in for it _big_. The young half-demon cringed as he peeled his short sleeve off of the wound on his arm, the blood having made it stick rather well. It was only a small satisfaction to see that it had already started healing. He looked with guilt at the cut under his best-friend's eye. She was human so her injury wouldn't heal like his and his father's. Thinking of his father, the boy looked at the damage on the older demons forearm, hanging his head in shame when he saw that, because of _his_ full-demon blood, the gash was almost completely gone. The cell-phone snapped shut and the full-demon glanced around with a hard look.

"Miyoga!" he called, his voice cold and rough.

The tiny youkai bounced out of whatever hiding place he'd found and humbly lit on to his employer's shoulder. "Yes, sir?"

"Take Kagome to Izayoi's office. Her mother is waiting there for her. Then come back here. When the authorities arrive, direct them to my office to get their statement." The order's were curt and had none of the usual friendliness to them. This was the InuTaisho that had created his business empire, not the kind employer those who worked for him knew him as.

"Y-Yes sir." came the flea's reply, as he bounced over to the young human girl, "Come along, Kagome. I'm sure your mother is worried sick." He turned to InuYasha. "Good luck, InuYasha-sama." Kagome gave her friend's hand a small squeeze and a sorrowful look before following after Miyouga's retreating form. The silver-haired full-demon began walking in a different direction, towards a small, grassy area where a few stone benches sat. His son had to nearly jog to keep up with his long stride. When they came to a stop in the middle of the benched in area, the boy glanced around discreetly. The place almost looked magical with the light from the waning crescent moon making the white stone of the benches glow. It would have been pretty…if it weren't for the angry full demon standing with his back to him. InuYasha just stood there, head bowed, ears low, waiting for his father to say something…anything. The absolute silence made it feel like the growing darkness was closing in on him.

"InuYasha." The boy flinched. Perhaps the silence wasn't so bad after all. InuTaisho's voice held no warmth, no forgiving softness. Raising his head, the hanyou was carful not to meet his father's eyes. "I told you not to go near there." The tone was still the same.

InuYasha squirmed. "I know…I-I just…"

InuTaisho growled. "You deliberately disobeyed me. And even worse than that, you almost got both yourself _and_ Kagome killed!"

"But, I-" the boy panicked.

"No buts, InuYasha!" The older man whipped around, making his high ponytail flare out. "This morning I told you that you would take my place some day, that you would have to be a leader. Let me tell you something! A true leader has the confidence to take the credit when things go well, and the bravery to take the blame when things go wrong. I will not tolerate excuse-"

"But that's what I was trying to do!" The frightened boy broke in. "I was trying to be brave! Like you are!"

InuTaisho lost some of the tension in his body and let loose a long sigh before sitting back on one of the benches, gesturing for his son to come closer. After a brief hesitation, he complied, walking to stand in front of his seated form. The older reached out and put his larger hand on the younger's slumped shoulder. "I'm only brave when I need to be."

InuYasha sniffed slightly. "But you're a full demon. Demons aren't afraid of anything."

The older man sighed again. "InuYasha, everyone is afraid of something." InuYasha raised his eyes slightly. "Heck! I bet even Onigumo Naraku is afraid of _something_." He cracked a smile.

The young boy's eye brows rose skeptically. "Naraku-san?"

"Sure! For all we know, he could be afraid of spiders!" he laughed heartily, making his son look up with a smile. It was a pretty funny thought. The young half-demon moved toward the bench and scrambled up next to his father. They turned to look at each other, the air of hostility gone.

"Hey, Tou-san? You're ganna teach me about how to be a good leader, right?"

InuTaisho gave a confused nod. "Of course."

"And…you're always going to be there to help me not screw up, right?"

The demon sighed. "InuYasha, let me tell you a little secret that has been passed down our blood line for generations." He looked up at the thin, white crescent backdroped by the dark blue sky of late evening. Curious, InuYasha followed his gaze. "No matter what happens, even if you think it's no longer possible, you can look up at that moon, and know that those who love you are seeing the exact same one. And in that way, we are always connected." InuTaisho looked down at his son, only to see his young, bright-eyed gaze still fixed on the celestial object.

_'No matter what…'_

-

* * *

**A/N:** Again, sorry for the long wait. I hope it was worth it. It ended up being around 4,500 words, 9 Word-pages long. I'm actually rather happy with it. Tell me what you think, ne? Review please! Ja, ne!


	5. The Death of a King

**A/N:** Konichiwa minna-san! Wow, it only took me two months this time! sheepish grin I actually wrote a good three fourths of this today. My muse actually decided to come when I wasn't busy and so I dedicate this chapter to her(maybe it'll charm her into doing this more often).

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing!

* * *

_**Five**_

-

Onigumo Naraku sat back in his expensive, black leather chair, one hand aimlessly tapping on the rich, mahogany desk in front of him, the other occupied by a palm-sized, black-brown tarantula. He gazed around his ornately furnished office. Not nearly as big as it should have been, but, he grinned evilly, that would change soon enough. He gave a quick glance to his watch before reaching to press the button to the intercom that linked him with his secretary in the lobby outside his workspace. "Kanna, send Kagura in as soon as she gets here. I need to have a word with her." his voice was smooth and dark with the promise of some form of retribution lacing his words.

The intercom clicked as the familiar, slow, emotionless voice of his secretary came through. "Of course, Naraku-sama." The dark-haired man rose from his seat and turned to face the wall of windows behind him. He glared at the low rising, mostly white buildings that could just be seen across the city, a column of black smoke drifting up from of the structures. He'd told her to kill the kids, not set the place on fire! Could she really be _that_ incompetent? It was a simple enough request. The humanoid looking demon was snapped out of his thoughts by his office door swinging open. Mirrored in the glass of the window he could see his human resources representative step inside before shutting the solid oak door behind her, the usual, uninterested scowl on her face. She stood there casually, taking a moment to fix the burgundy skirt and jacket of her business suit.

"Really, Kagura. Can you never be polite enough to knock?" Naraku asked in a darkly amused tone, not even bothering to turn around.

"Cut the crap, Naraku, and tell me why I'm here." The crimson-eyed woman snapped back. How she hated him.

"Oh, I'm certain you already know why you're here, Kagura." The dark haired man turned to face her slowly. "How many times have I told you not to _play_ with your food?" the woman rolled her eyes, but gave no indication that she would answer. "I practically _gift wrapped_ those brats for you, and you couldn't even get the job done!" he snarled, "Now, not only did you get the authorities involved by _setting the place on fire_, but the little thorns in my side are alive to tell who did it!" His eyes burned with fury as he clenched his unoccupied hand. Kagura's red lips were still set in a thin line, her arms crossed, waiting for her 'boss' to finish his tirade. It was no use arguing with him. He never cared what anyone had to say in these situations. After staring at her for a few, tense moments, he seemed to relax somewhat. "But, I suppose that after this failure you'll just have to try again, won't you?"

Kagura's brow rose slightly. He was giving her another chance? That certainly wasn't normal. Still… "And how do you suppose I do that, considering InuTaisho now knows someone made an attempt on his son's life?"

"Kill him."

That got her attention. "Pardon?"

Naraku grinned evilly and gave a slow, dark chuckle. "Kill InuTaisho and get _both_ my obstacles out of the way. It was going to have to happen sooner or later, and I suppose sooner fits my interests better." Kagura gave him a hard glare when he didn't continue and began to turn towards the door, figuring his speech was done. "Oh, and Kagura," she stopped, "This time, you'll take Kanna with you."

She grit her teeth and glared at the smirking man in front of her. She didn't need a babysitter! The creature in his palm shifted and moved in a seemingly agitated way, its hairy legs stretching out and then retracting again. Kagura curled her lip at her 'boss's' _pet_ before raising her gaze to look at the man in the eye. "I despise spiders." She stated, not necessarily speaking of the creature in his hand. Naraku simply gave an amused smirk and watched her leave his office, shutting the door behind her with an audible click.

Now alone once again in his office, he turned back to the windows to stare at his rival's business complex, now silhouetted against the last light of the setting sun. _'Soon, InuTaisho. Soon both you _and_ your son will be out of my way, and I'll take what you should have promised me ages ago.'_

-

It was an overcast day with ominous darker clouds on the horizon. InuYasha looked longingly at the play equipment, envying the other kids that began to swarm upon it. Usually he and Kagome would join them until their mothers were able to get away from their desks, but not today, not with the trouble they were both in. Usually their mothers weren't strong supporters of grounding, but again, special situations called for change. They were both to come straight to their respective mother's office as soon as they left the school building, not to even wait for the other one to catch up. The boy lowered his head and started his walk of shame. He felt horrible for all the trouble he caused. The look on his mother's face when his father had brought him back had been a mixture of terror and relief, thinking something had happened to her only son while already knowing he was alright. Kagome and her mother had already gone home, but he could tell from the smell there had been much crying in the room from both of them. The strong scent of tears made him feel even worse, causing him to pin his dog-like ears flat against his head.

InuYasha was brought out of his musings by the sound of deliberate footsteps heading in his direction. He looked up to see a familiar dark-haired man in a crisp charcoal business suit. "Naraku-san! What are you doing here?" the pleasant surprise was evident in the young boy's voice.

The man gave him the usual smirk. "Looking for you actually, InuYasha." He said coolly.

The boy's eyes widened in confusion. "Why me?"

The smirk widened. "Come with me and we'll talk on the way." he began to move in the direction InuYasha had just come from.

"But, Naraku-san," he stopped him, "I have to go straight to my mother's office." He lowered his head slightly, "I got in a lot of trouble yesterday."

Naraku simply waved it away. "You're with me, I'm sure she won't mind."

InuYasha looked back at the building he was supposed to be going to. It _was_ true, his parents trusted Naraku… "Well…ok. I guess your right." And so he began to follow after his father's friend. They walked in silence for a few minutes before Naraku spoke up once again.

"So, InuYasha," he began, looking down at the hanyou boy, "I heard about your little escapade yesterday."

InuYasha flinched. "You did?"

"Oh, of course. Everyone's heard about that. You set the building on fire; did you expect people not to wonder?"

The boy panicked. "It wasn't like that, I swear! The fire wasn't my fault!"

"Yes, yes, of course." The older man waved it a way in a voice that said he wasn't quite convinced. InuYasha's ears lowered again in shame. Even Naraku thought he was a fool. Before long, they came to the edge of the campus grounds where the streets once were once again owned by the city of Tokyo. This particular street was almost empty, strange for such a large city, with only a few people walking the sidewalks. InuYasha looked around and turned to ask why they had come here, but Naraku spoke first. "Ah! I almost for got. I need your father here as well." He turned to walk back onto the campus, "You just go ahead and wait here while I go get him."



InuYasha looked around nervously. The city itself wasn't kept up as nicely as the campus was, with the filthy streets and sidewalks instead of the pristine white and terracotta pathways, and the dirty industry buildings covered in scaffolding rather than the immaculate office buildings. He turned to follow Naraku. "Wait! Maybe I should come with you."

The dark-haired man turned back slightly. "Nonsense. It won't take that long. Are you really that scared, InuYasha?"

The boy stopped and turned away. "No…"

"Good. Then I'll be back shortly." InuYasha began moving back to his previous spot. "Oh, and InuYasha," he looked up at the man, "Try not to get into any more trouble, ne?" The hanyou hung his head as Naraku walked back onto the campus grounds. Dejected, InuYasha kicked a pebble that lay on the cement and sat himself down on the curb.

'_Guess I can't do anything but wait…'_

-

Just around the corner from the young hanyou, Kagura sat balance on top of a streetlight, watching a small gang of yakuza wanna-bes. _'Just a bunch a pitiful little punks.'_ she thought to herself as she fidgeted with her trademark fan out of sheer boredom. How much longer did she have to sit here? After another minute or so she finally saw what she was waiting for. The white haired girl known as Kanna stepped out of a small side alley, a palm sized brown spider on her shoulder and an ornate, circular mirror clutched in front of her. _'It's about time.'_ Kagura watched as Kanna walked gracefully toward the group of older teens. They didn't seem to notice her at first, but as she came closer, one by one, they turned to face her.

"Well, well, look what we have here." Kagura heard one say.

"Hey Babe, you lookin' for some fun?" another sneered.

'_Disgusting.'_ The dark-haired demoness sniffed, but continued to watch as her emotionless counterpart raised her mirror to reflect the boys' images. Slowly, a white, mist like substance began rolling off the dumfounded youths and was quickly absorbed by the outstretched mirror.

"Oi! What the fuck are you doin' t'us, bitch?!" one called out before he, and the rest of the fools, collapsed onto the pavement. Once all of the 'mist' was absorbed, Kanna brought the mirror back, close against her body and looked up to where Kagura was still sitting. Taking that as her queue, the wind demoness jumped from her perch and landed gracefully on the ground next to her 'partner'.

'_A soulless man is as good as a dead one.'_ She thought as she flicked open her fan and gave it a wave over the motionless bodies in front of her. "Dance of the Dead!" She immediately felt the pull of invisible puppet strings on her weapon of choice telling her that the technique was working. Making sure not to close the fan all the way, Kagura gave the invisible lines a tug, causing all five of the youths to rise to their feet. At a close look they looked a little like zombies, standing there haphazardly with blank expressions on their faces, but they would serve their purpose. Now…to get them over to the hanyou.

-

InuYasha sat on the side of the street still waiting for Naraku to come back with his father like he said. He didn't like being alone like this. And he had just started to realize that while he might be with Naraku, his mother didn't necessarily _know_ that, seeing as how he didn't tell her before he left with the man. The boy cringed; he was going to get it later. He wouldn't be able to take the look of disappointment he knew would be on his mother's face when she finally found him. As he looked down, absently picking at some grass growing out of a crack in the pavement, the boy felt a shadow fall over him, and then five pars of dirty sneakers come into view. InuYasha looked up slowly to see the baggy cloths and then the angry looking faces of a group of boys that looked anywhere from seventeen to nineteen years old. The young boy backed up uneasily without rising to his feet.

"Well, what's this? A filthy little hanyou on our turf?" the first one said, his tone oddly flat.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be here. I'm…I'm waiting for someone." The boy tried to defend himself.

"I bet he was just _lookin'_ for some trouble like us." Said another, with the same flat tone that definitely did not match his expression.

InuYasha scooted back even more. "N-No! No! I was just sitting here! I wasn't looking for any trouble!"

"Let's teach this little abomination what we do to vermin like him." Said a third as he reached out to grab the boy. InuYasha made a noise of protest and tried to scramble away from the ones who wanted to do him harm, but his effort to turn away enabled the one who had reached for him to grab on to a generous amount of his hair. The boy shrieked in pain as he was hauled backwards by his locks and thrown to the ground. Before he could even begin to recover or think to fight back, a heavy foot slammed into his stomach. The others took this as their queue to start their own bits of torture, barley allowing the young boy enough air to scream.

Kagura watched the scene as she sat, once again, on her streetlight perch, giving her fan a flick or a tug every now and then. Satisfied she'd given Naraku enough time to get to the boy's father, she whipped out her black cell phone and dialed three numbers.

"_1-1-9, what is your emergency?"_

"I'd like to report a disturbance…"



-

InuTaisho sighed and rubbed his eyes as the policemen continued to search through the remains of the medical lab for anything that could be useful. He just wanted this mess to be over with so he could go back to his wife and son. But just as he was getting hopeful that he may be able to leave soon, he saw the detective from the police department making his way over to him again, both notebook and pen at the ready. _'Here we go again.'_

"Takahashi-sama, you said you saw the women who did this, yes?" the detective asked without looking up from his notes.

"Yes, I did." The full demon really wasn't in the mood to go over this again.

"And would you say it was a good look?"

"Yes, I was staring right at her when she attacked me."

"Do you think you could pick her out of a line up?"

InuTaisho growled slightly. Wasn't it a bit early to be asking things like that? "If you are able to catch her, then yes, I would be able to pick her out of a line up."

The detective raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying we will not be _able_ to catch her, Takahashi-sama?" he asked in an accusatory tone.

InuTaisho narrowed his golden eyes and growled again, this time a little more threatening. "What exactly are you insinuating?" The impudent human detective was about to respond when a familiar scent made itself present. InuTaisho turned to see Onigumo Naraku walking towards them. Thankful for the distraction, the dog demon greeted his associate. "Onigumo! So sorry I can't do business right now. I had a little bit of a problem last night, though I suppose you've already heard about that."

"Of course. I just came to make sure everyone was alright. No one was injured I presume?" Naraku put on a concerned face.

InuTaisho shook his head in the negative. "No, thank Kami. My son and his friend were caught up in it a bit, but they both came out unharmed."

"Good to hear."

Annoyed he was being snubbed, the detective tried to interrupt. "Takahashi-sama-" but it was he who was interrupted by the loud crackling of a walkie-talkie on the hip of a nearby policeman.

"_Attention all 2-7, 2-8, and 2-9 patrol units. We've got a public disturbance on west 39__th__ on the outskirts of the TH Inc. complex. Five teenage males are executing a physical assault on a minor. Use caution, subjects may be armed."_



Naraku's eyes widened and took a sharp intake of breath. "Takahashi. InuYasha's down that way."

The demon's head snapped to look at him. "_What?_"

"I saw him walking that way when I was coming here. He was pretty close to the edge of the complex."

Faster than any human could imagine, InuTaisho took off toward the place of the disturbance. Everything was a blur as he ran, his only thoughts on the hope that the minor was not his son. He'd been through enough already. The campus was a safe haven. Demons and humans worked together and if they didn't like it they were asked to keep it to themselves or leave. The world on the out side was a very different place. While things were better than they had been years ago, humans still weren't quick to trust demons and demons were known to think of humans as weak, inferior creatures. On both sides hanyou were worse than dirt. Neither one, nor the other. They were often ridiculed, shunned, and…beaten. He wouldn't have his young son learn these horrors first hand.

In minutes he had reached the edge of the campus, and there he saw what he had feared. Lying on the pavement was a small battered body with tangled white hair, five larger figures standing over him, continuing their torment. The blood ran hot in InuTaisho's veins, and his eyes flashed red in pure furry, a deep growl beginning in his throat. His keen ears picked up words like 'half-breed' and 'mutt' and 'mongrel' accompany each kick and punch. It wasn't until one pathetic fool grabbed at the boy's sensitive ears, causing him to yell out in pain, that he lunged into action.

InuTaisho ripped two of the assaulters from their 'fun' and threw them to the ground before swiping at the other three with his demonic claws. When he turned around he saw the first two get up and prepare to continue their previous actions as if nothing had happened. These were not normal humans. He grabbed the closest boy by the neck and threw him across the street at the same time as he pulled the second down to the pavement and pinned him with a foot. The other three teens seemed to finally realize they were being attacked and jumped the full-grown demon, one pulling out a knife and jamming it into InuTaisho's side. There was a roar of pain and anger as the businessman reached behind him and dug his claws into the bastard's lower back, using his spinal cord as a grip to throw him. The attack should have been enough to paralyze the boy, but almost as soon as he hit the ground he was up again. The boy he had thrown across the street had come back in range and was now reaching into his deep pockets as were the boy with the back injury and one of the others. In desperation, InuTaisho dug his claws into his arm, coating them in his own blood, and quickly flinging the red liquid outward. "Blades of Blood!" Time seemed to move at a snail's pace as the newly formed red blades hit their marks. Three shots were fired.

Just outside the campus gates, partially behind a bush, a man with greasy black hair and blood-red eyes threw his gun into a pool of newly pooled red liquid several yards away before discretely removing the leather glove and stuffing it in his pocket for later disposal. That had been far too easy. He smirked before going to see if that poor, terrified, _pathetic_ little hanyou was alright.

-

InuYasha had curled himself into a tight ball, hiding his face in his knees and covering his ears with his hands as he lay in the street. He'd never heard his father so angry; he'd never even seen his father fight. And he never wanted to again. The cracking of bone, the splatter of blood, the yells of fury and pain. It was horrid. He heard his father yell an attack just before he was absolutely deafened by the blast of three shots; _Bang! Bang! Bang!_ Then…the sickening thud of limp bodies hitting the ground.

InuYasha stayed there, shaking with fear on the street for several seconds, expecting to feel his father pick him up and hear him say that it was over, that he didn't have to be scared anymore…but the comfort didn't come. Ever so slowly, he uncurled himself, making a point to keep looking at the concrete underneath him. When he was finally able to push himself up on his hands and knees, and then up onto his unsteady feet, he looked at the scene around him…and whimpered pitifully. Six bodied lay unmoving on the cracked, black asphalt. Five with short, dark hair and one with a long, silvery ponytail. Thunder rolled in the background as the boy ran to the latter and fell to his knees at his side. Blood pooled from under him, thick and dark reddish-brown. InuYasha laid a small, clawed hand on his father's shoulder and shook as hard as he could.

"Tou-san…Tou-san, please," his voice cracked as tears pooled in his eyes. He shook again. "Tou-san! Tou-san! Wake up…please…" It was futile. His father, the great InuTaisho Takahashi, did not stir. The young hanyou hiccupped and gave a pained sob.

Behind him, lighting flashed to reveal Naraku emerging from behind the campus gate as if he had already been there watching, waiting. His cool, deep voice floated over the boy. "InuYasha…what have you done…?"

InuYasha's head snapped up to look at the man as another bout of thunder cracked in the sky, tears streaming from his panic-stricken eyes. "I-I didn't-! I didn't-!"

Naraku strolled closer, unfazed by the bodies around him. "The only reason this happened, InuYasha, was because you couldn't learn to stay out of trouble."

InuYasha gave a strangled gasp. He felt like his throat was closing in on him, he couldn't breath. "I-I d-didn't mean to! I didn't mean to get into trouble! Th-They just came and started hitting me! I swear!" Naraku had to believe him. It wasn't his fault!

Naraku knelt by InuYasha's side and put a thin hand on his head. "Ah, but InuYasha, you know perfectly well why they were hitting you. You're a hanyou, a half-bread, _unclean_. If you weren't such a disgrace, your father would still be alive." InuYasha had never heard Naraku say such unkind things to him before…and in such a matter-of-fact way. They were true then…he wouldn't say them if they weren't true. "Goodness, what will your mother say when she sees all of this?"



InuYasha's eyes widened in horror. _'Oka.'_ She couldn't really hate him for this, could she? Sirens of police cars could finally be heard approaching the scene. "What'll I do?" he asked in fear.

Naraku smirked mentally. This was working all too well. "Run. Run away from here and never come back. It is the only way to keep those you love from absolute ruin and dishonor." Rain began to fall hard on the pavement, mixing with the pools of blood causing them to form small rivers of red as the young boy gave a disbelieving stare, but Naraku's stern fetchers did not falter. He slowly stood, fear evident on his face, and took a hesitant step backward, his eyes never leaving Naraku's. "Run, InuYasha." And so he did. He turned and he ran as fast as he could away from that nightmarish scene. Another flash of lightning. Naraku watched him until he disappeared around the corner of an alleyway. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Kagura step into view, her fan fully closed. Without looking at her he gave his orders, "Kill him." and turned away to greet the policemen.

Kagura rode on her feather over the rooftops of the lower buildings and through alleys in pursuit of the kid, doing her best to kill him and not get caught, cursing the heavy rainfall. In the alleys she used her Dance of Blades and on the open streets she tried using gusts of wind to make him trip and hopefully get hit by a car or something. But, to her frustration, the kid just had too much adrenaline in his system. He ducked and dodged and jumped to evade her every attempt. Finally he ran into a large building. _'Damn him, he ran into the train station.' _And so she touched down discretely and walked into the same building, looking like the average business woman hurrying to catch a train and evade the storm. She followed him through throngs of people and bags, trying to keep on his tail. She obviously couldn't attack him in here. She cursed as she saw the little whelp duck onto a train without anybody around noticing. She tried to speed up, maybe stop the train and pull him off acting like an angry mother, but again luck was not on her side. The door to the car closed and the train began picking up speed.

Kagura flicked her fan open in frustration and stared over it at the steel contraption from the platform. Well he was certainly going far away. Naraku had told him never to come back and by the look on the hanyou's face, he was going to heed those words. Perhaps she didn't have to waist time tracking him down where ever he was going to kill him, if no one around here was going to see him again anyway. Kagura narrowed her eyes and tuned her back on the quickly disappearing train. As far as she was concerned, her job was done.

-

It had been pouring for three days. The funerals were over. The great InuTaisho's casket buried and the place were his son should have lain beside him marked. That was the hardest blow to the young widow Izaioi. Her only son dead, yet the body unfound. All families associated with TH Inc. were gathered in the auditorium, where not a dry eye could be found, for the memorial service. Mrs. Higurashi sat in the front row; one arm around Izaioi and the other around her daughter for comfort and her four year old son on her lap. They listened to Onigumo Naraku as he gave his speech of memory.



"…To lose InuTaisho Takahashi was a tragedy, but to loose young InuYasha as well breaks our hearts. But this great company will live on as their legacy. As his first son refuses to take his father's position, I found it my duty to buy out TH Inc. and take the head position myself." Gasps were heard from the crowd. How could TH Inc. be bought out by anyone? Was that even possible? "And so I take my place as the head of this business community and add to what InuTaisho has already done." From the curtains came a variety of full youkai, which some recognized as being part of Naraku's staff at his own corporation. The creatures didn't even bother with humanoid forms as they glared out at the people. The children in the room hugged their parents in fear.

Kagome didn't see how any of this was possible. People thought she was too young to understand, but she listened in. There were only three shots fired, all of which hit InuTaisho-san, she shuttered at the thought, and only the three gunmen were hit by the blades of blood. That left the two other gang members and InuYasha unaccounted for. It just didn't make sense! Tears trailed down her face from both sorrow and anger. First her father and now this. Why? Kagome looked up and knew. Things the way she knew them…would never be that way again. In the back of the room an old man left the appalling sight of the hostile take over, shaking his head in sorrow.

-

Totosai sat in his forge that night, staring at the wall of names and the swords he had made for them. The fire in the pit crackled as he solemnly contemplated the last name on the list. The boy hadn't even touched the sword, let alone _used_ it, and so Tetsuaiga was not technically his even though it had been made for him. It wouldn't be right to bury a sword that had no connection with the boy with his body even if they had the body to bury. The wizened old man glanced at the demonic sword InuTaisho had commissioned for his second son, leaning against the wall. InuYasha's name would be filled in and the sword would be reassigned when Sesshomaru finally decided to have pups.

Totosai used his forger's mallet to heave himself to his feet and walk over to the wall. He picked up the mortar and raised his hand to fill in the three simple characters. He hesitated, and put the filling substance down. He would erase the name when a new owner was born. He had had too many hopes for that young half demon. He picked up his chisel instead, placed it, and gave it one whack. A line through the name would do for now. Totosai sighed and plopped back down by the fire. He wouldn't be getting any sleep that night.

-

* * *

**A/N: **Ok, yes, 119 is the actual equivalent to our 911 in Japan. Some say it was for the convenience of the tourists, but I don't really have an opinion on that. And I know InuTaisho's death scene was a bit short, but I hope it didn't become anti-climactic because of it. I needed it to happen fast because I needed InuYasha to be out of there by the time the cops arrived. Honestly I'm not all that happy with this chapter, but tell me if you think different, ne? I hope you guys liked it! Made tsugi no kai!


	6. Hakuna Matata

**A/N:** Konichiwa mina-san! He…four months, sorry! I did say this is only a spare time thing. I had the busiest summer ever; England, Ohio, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, writer's block(yeas, writer's block is now a placeP). I'll try to get the next chapter up before Christmas. I'm starting my senior year of high school next week, so it'll be pretty crazy for a while.

Ok, now for the stuff you actually care about! Tanoshii omoi o suru!

* * *

**Six**

It was cold. As much as he wished he could say that he was hanyou and the cold didn't affect him, he couldn't. InuYasha sat huddled up against the brick wall of an ally way somewhere in the city of Kyoto a few blocks from the train station. It had been four days since he ran away. Four days since he'd been in his soft bed in his big penthouse apartment in Tokyo. Four days since he'd had a change of cloths. Four days since he'd seen his mother or best friend. Four days since he'd witnessed the brutal murder of his full demon father. Four days since he was chased onto a train and forced to hide under a seat for almost five hours so he didn't get thrown off. Three days since he began to wander around his new home and find out where he actually was. Two days since he'd had anything to eat. And roughly twenty-four hours since he'd found this dark ally and curled up behind a rusty, smelly dumpster hoping no one found him until the sun rose on the fifth day.

It was his human night. The night of the new moon. He was so tired, but he knew he couldn't go to sleep now. He'd been safe at home. He could sleep on this night and know that his parents were just in another room making sure no one found out what this night did to him. Here he was definitely not safe. He was out in the open looking like a weak black haired human ten-year-old with none of his hanyou abilities to help him avoid danger. Who knew what might be roaming around these streets just waiting to make a meal of him. The violet-eyed boy fiddled with his ripped and stained red T-shirt. He wasn't stupid. As much as his parents tried to hide him from the atrocities of the world, he knew how the majority of people felt about hanyou. The beating he'd gotten the day he ran proved that much…the beating that had gotten his father killed…

InuYasha sniffed and tried to shake away those thoughts. He couldn't afford to be weak now. Even though he was just a scarred little boy, he couldn't let anyone or anything else know that. He hunkered down and brought his jean-clad knees in closer to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He wouldn't allow anything to sneak up on him, even if he couldn't see in the dark like normal. A yawn worked its way out of his fangless mouth and blinked his eyes a few times. Maybe he'd just close his eyes for a little while, keeping his ears out for any intrusions on his hiding spot. The boy yawned again. Yeah that would work; no one would get by his ears. InuYasha was asleep almost as soon as his violet eyes shut.

-

Quiet murmuring eased the boy out of his slumber hours later. Had he fallen asleep in math class again? His blurry mind couldn't make out what they were saying, nor did it even really care. He just wanted to go back to sleep. Sugoku-sensei could wake him up when he noticed he wasn't paying attention. InuYasha felt his body convulse slightly and groaned softly; the voices stopped. Damn, had he just ratted himself out? Just then the familiar feeling of his youki flooding back into his veins swept over him, jolting him back to his senses and the reality that he was definitely _not_ sleeping through another of Sugoku-sensei's lectures, and he _was_ in an unsafe, unfamiliar place and _someone_ had just born whiteness to the most obvious sign of his hanyou blood. As quick as he was able, InuYasha tried to stand up and step backwards with a growl of warning, but only managed to scramble back and half fall into a puddle of grimy water, his warning growl morphing into one of pain as he rapped the back of his head on the metal side of the dumpster next to him. He heard a small snicker and the choke of someone trying to hold back laughter. Shit, he was dead.

-

Two young children, a girl sporting a long, dark brown ponytail, and a violet-eyed boy with his hair slicked back into a small dragon-tail, both no older than thirteen snuck around the corner of a brick ally way toward the dumpster they usually used to look for odds and ends to sell in. It was just before dawn, the sun moments away from peeping above the horizon giving everything a bluish tint. It was the perfect time to dumpster dive for treasure, especially near the train station. People moving away on the late trains had gotten rid of that last big thing they decided they didn't need, some poor excuse for a thief had ditched part of or the entirety of his gains, either to jump on the next train to escape the cops, or to hide it stupidly in a dumpster until they could return for it. It didn't matter where the stuff came from, as long as they could get a couple of bucks for it. With practiced stealth, the teenage brunette slid around the corner, keeping low to the ground, making sure no one was around to call the cops on two suspicious hooligans digging through the trash.

As soon as she was sure it was safe, the girl stood to her full height, brushed off her carpenter jeans and fuchsia T-shirt, motioning to her accomplice to follow. He too darted his eyes around quickly before stepping fully into the ally, carful not to knock into that random soda can near his foot. They were just about to heave themselves over the side of the filthy metal container when the boy stopped his friend and motioned silently to a sneaker-clad foot peeking out from around the side of the thing. Quietly hopping back to the ground the thirteen-year-old followed her purple-shirted friend to check out who would be sleeping in their ally. In no time they stood before a black-haired boy in a red T-shirt, who couldn't be more than two or three years younger than them.

"What the hell is a kid like that doing on the streets?" asked the girl incredulously.

"He's obviously fed well, I don't think he's been out here a full week yet." The boy nodded.

"Think he's got anything on him? A five, or a ten? Something he took from his parents before he ran?"

"Who's to say _they_ didn't leave _him_?"

"Those clothes are too nice. A parent who didn't want their kid wouldn't buy him clothes like that."

"Well then why'd he run if his parents actually acted the way they're supposed to for their kid?"

"I don't know, maybe-"

She cut herself short when the kid shivered and groaned softly. Damn if they woke him and missed their chance. Suddenly, the sun rose high enough to spill a few rays into the ally, illuminating the younger boy moments before the thick, black hair melted into a silvery-white, and his normal human looking ears slid up the sides of his head and morphed into two twitching canine appendages the same color as his hair. Both teens stepped back instinctually, amazed at what they had just witnessed. They glanced at each other with wide eyes before a semi-threatening growl had them whipping their heads back to see the newly transformed boy try to lunge at them, quickly losing his balance and falling backward into a smallish puddle of garbage juice, letting out a whimper of pain as he smacked his head on the metal of the dumpster. The girl snickered at the poor excuse for a defense attack, and the boy clapped one hand over his mouth to keep from guffawing as loud as he wanted to, swinging the other arm around his shaking midsection.

Both teens stopped laughing when the young boy opened his eyes and glared at them with two pools of anger and distrust. A small chilled-like growl started in his throat again, but the teens stayed where they were. The girl crouched down and balanced on the balls of her feet so she was on the same level as the silver-haired kid and glared right back. She could tell he was scared of them and of what they might do, but she was wary of what _he_ could do as well. The teenage boy just shook his head good-naturedly at her.

"Come on Sango, let him be. He's just a kid." He told her.

"Can it Miroku. He's a hanyou. You know perfectly well what he's capable of doing." She replied harshly without taking her eyes off the boy.

As soon as the girl, Sango, said what he was, InuYasha flinched and tried to scoot back farther but was blocked by the wall behind him. What would they do to him? They were human, but it was still two against one and they were both older and bigger, he wasn't sure if he could fend them off for very long in his haggard condition. The boy, Miroku, just sighed at his friend.

"You've been saying you wish we had an advantage on the streets. Maybe he can be our advantage; heightened senses, speed, agility, strength… If you can show him you're not as 

hostile as you're acting right now then maybe he'll work with us." Sango turned her head and stared at her friend with a skeptical gaze.

InuYasha hated it that they were talking about him as if he weren't _right there_, but decided it would probably be best to stay quiet. What did they expect him to do, become a criminal or something? Work with them? Yeah right. Slowly, and as quietly as he was able, InuYasha began scooting along the wall, hoping to get away from these strange teens. After about only a foot or two, the girl turned her attention back to him, freezing him in place.

"Fine." she directed to her friend, "Hey kid, you hungry?" InuYasha opened his mouth to refuse the implied offer of food, only to have his stomach answer for him in the affirmative.

Miroku chuckled. "Well, that answers that question. Come on with us and we'll get you something to eat." He gestured towards a back way out of the alley. Both teens began walking in that direction obviously expecting the silver haired boy to follow. Hungry as he was, InuYasha was seriously skeptical about going off with two random kids offering him food. He watched them walk away, wondering what they would do if he didn't follow. They definitely had enough leverage with him to get him to go anywhere, knowing his secret and all, but would they actually use it? They were about to turn the corner when the girl realized he wasn't with them. She turned and looked at him expectantly. He must have looked so stupid just sitting there staring at them.

"Well, are you coming or not?" The boy stopped as well and they both waited as InuYasha slowly stood up and took a step towards them. Warily, he took a couple of more steps before his stomach made another loud protest at his hesitancy to get food. The girl's eyes lost their hard edge and the boy actually smiled at him. Maybe he could trust them…maybe. He picked up his pace and the boy held out a hand to usher him to the front of the group, directing him were to go with a hand on his shoulder. As they walked, InuYasha noticed how… Miroku and Sango were very careful to always look around a corner before they passed or walked around it. It was strange, he'd never really had to watch out for himself, but he decided it would be a very good idea to start looking around corners himself. They hadn't walked for more than ten minutes when Miroku steered him towards the door of a restaurant. It certainly wasn't as fancy as some of the places he'd been with his parents, but it didn't seem like the kind of place either of these kids could afford either, not only that but it was closed. Even so, he kept quiet.

Miroku balled a hand and smartly rapped on the glass door with his knuckles like he did this everyday…then again, maybe he did. Sango didn't seem like she was a first timer at this place either. After waiting only a few seconds, an old woman with long gray hair and an eye-patch over her left eye came to the door and fiddled with the inside lock before stepping back, letting Sango push open the door from our side and hold it while Miroku directed InuYasha inside. The old woman eyed the silver-haired hanyou, but said nothing. She simply went behind the counter of the American style diner and waited as all three of the children hopped up on barstools. Only then did she speak.

"You two are here earlier than usual." Obviously she wasn't one for questions with obvious answers.

Sango answered anyway. "We were interrupted."

The woman eyed the new-comer again, making him feel rather self-conscious. "So I see. Will he be staying with you?"

Sango leaned her elbow against the countertop and her head on her hand looking slightly board. "Miroku thinks he should. Haven't actually talked to him about it yet. If he had anywhere else to go he'd be there by now. Thought we'd get the kid some food first." She absently began swinging one leg back and forth since her feet couldn't reach the ground from the high, chrome and red vinyl barstool. Miroku simply sat studying a menu, though from the tone of the old woman's speech, he probably knew it by heart, and let the women deal with the kid.

The woman turned and directed her next question to InuYasha. "And can this child talk?"

InuYasha quickly lowered his eyes and fidgeted before answering her quietly. 'H-Hai, okusan, I can talk." His head shot up, however, at the good-humored laugh that followed. The woman's wrinkles were even more defined with the crinkling smile she had put on.

"Okusan? I haven't been called okusan by a child in a decade or more! I like you boy. You should hear what these two louts have to say. And maybe you two," she said turning to Sango and Miroku, "can learn something from him as well." She waved a hand in InuYasha's direction as she walked off into what he assumed to be the kitchens from the smell of it. There was an awkward silence for a few minutes before Miroku broke it with an upbeat tone of voice.

"Well! I've never known Kaede to warm up to anyone so quickly."

InuYasha turned to him with a questioning look. "But what about you? She seems to be ok with you."

"Sure, now." It was Sango who spoke this time. "The first few times she found us digging in her trash she shooed us off threatening bodily harm. It wasn't till the fifth or sixth time that she dragged us inside sat us down here and gave us a proper meal."

InuYasha raised an eyebrow. "Why were you digging through her trash?"

"It's what we do." Miroku swiveled on his barstool so his back was leaning against the counter. "We're dumpster-divers."

"Why?"

Sango picked up the explanation. "Cans, bottles that we can get some change for recycling, anything sellable. It's our main way of getting money for food and wearable cloths. You'd be 

surprised what people throw away. See these shoes?" she gestured down to her not-so-grubby pink and black Nikes, "Found them in a dumpster in the shopping district a couple of blocks over." She seemed pretty proud of herself, though InuYasha couldn't help thinking it was a little…well he didn't know what, but maybe not something to be proud of.

"What about your parents?" Shouldn't they be the ones taking care of that? InuYasha was confused.

Sango and Miroku looked at each other before Miroku sighed and turned to look the younger boy in the eye. "Umm…kid, we're orphans. Sango's…Sango's parents are dead and mine…well, my mom died before I can remember and my dad was a hopeless drunk. I ran away from _that_ situation four years ago."

InuYasha's eyes widened before he ducked down, ears lowering in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry."

The black-haired boy waved it away. "Nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything. Besides, you probably know all about that sort of thing."

White, dog-like ears shot up. "Why would I know anything about that?"

Sango stopped swinging her leg. "That's why you're here ain't it? Why you were out on the streets?"

Amber eyes darted around slightly. "…No."

"Well then why the hell are you out here?" she seemed exasperated.

InuYasha flinched. _'If you weren't such a disgrace, your father would still be alive.'_ "I don't want to talk about it." He suddenly found his clasped hands rather interesting, but he was surprised by what Miroku had to say.

"Good. It's better that way. The less you talk about it, the less you think about it, and so it becomes less and less of your problem."

It was a concept that seemed in contradiction to what the hanyou had been taught all his life; when you do something wrong, the responsibility for it will always be yours, even if you wish it wasn't. But right now he was willing to believe anything that might take away some of the pain. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"It's simple. If you stop caring, there's no guilt, and if there's no guilt then there's no problem. You just let whatever happened _roll_ off your back and let someone who cares take over." It was obvious by her tone of voice that Sango had been living like that almost her entire life.

"Leave what's past _in_ the past." Miroku chimed in sagely, "That's where it belongs anyway." InuYasha supposed that did make sense. He couldn't change what happened. Feeling guilty 

wouldn't bring his father back. He…He'd leave it in the past…where…it belonged. The hanyou nodded somberly. Suddenly the kitchen doors swung open again and out bustled Kaede with three plates of something he was not used to smelling this early in the morning. She set the plates out in front of each youngster and than began going through the process of opening shop for the day. InuYasha looked at his plate strangely.

"What is all this?"

Sango answered at the same time she put a fork-full of the fluffy yellow egg in her mouth. "Scrambled-eggs with cheese, sausage, bacon, and hash-browns. A full American breakfast. Chock full of calories. Eat up kid, we're gonna put you through your paces today…that is, unless, you have somewhere else you can go…"

InuYasha shook his head viciously. "No. No I'll…I'll stay with you guys. But couldn't I just have some rice and miso…or something? This seems a bit much."

Miroku laughed through his half-full mouth. "Rice and miso he says! Kid this is an _American_ style diner. Don't be picky, you're on the streets now. You have to take what you can get. Can't stuff it, you're on your own. Besides, we don't come back here till after the dinner rush. Can't have Kaede's customers see three scraggly kids gettin' free food now can we. And if it's bad pickins in the trash today, we're not stopping for lunch. Sango used most of the money we had left to get a new shirt. Hers was gettin' way too small with her _developing_ female parts- hey!" he dodged a well aimed punch from the female in question.

"Umm…how am I supposed to pay Kaede-san? I don't have any money." InuYasha asked sheepishly, interrupting Miroku's punishment. Sango seemed to calm down instantly and release her grip on her terrified friend's shirt.

"That'll change after a few days in the dumpsters. You'll get a little money. But mostly we just work it off. Clean the bathroom, wipe down the tables, wash dishes, stuff like that. She can't really hire us 'till we're fifteen, so until then we just get food in exchange for work instead of money." That seemed reasonable enough to InuYasha so without farther questioning the silver-haired boy tucked into the food he was given trying to ignore the odd combination of flavors and forcing himself, without much trouble, to eat every last bite. He'd been able to go two whole days without food, but je still didn't like the thought of having nothing else till dinner.

He was halfway through his plate when Sango piped up again. "Hey kid, what's your name anyway?"

The boy stopped eating abruptly. Would they sent him back if he told them his real name? "Takeda…Takeda InuYasha." His mother's maiden-name would work. His father's name would simply draw too much attention. He quickly began to shovel more eggs into his mouth, trying to concentrate on the food.

Miroku clapped him hard on the back. "Well, InuYasha, welcome aboard. We'll have to enroll you in school sometime soon though."

InuYasha looked at him skeptically. "School?"

The violet-eyed boy nodded. "Kaede says she won't hire us if we don't go to school. We'll do it though the homeless shelter a few blocks over, that way we don't have to worry about birth certificates or anything. We'll skip today to show you the ropes of our way of life, but no more than that." And so they finished their meal, washed their dishes and went out into the alleys and back-ways of Kyoto.

It turned out that InuYasha was more of an advantage than they thought he would be. Not only could he sniff out remnants of drinks to alert them to bottles and cans, but he could also hear if anyone was coming so they could get out of there, his claws were pretty handy too for slicing open trash bags. The morning was successful enough to have a small lunch and by the time they went back to Kaede's, Sango and Miroku were feeling rather good about themselves finding their new comrade. That night, InuYasha was introduced to his new 'home', a setup of blankets and an old recliner chair with a tarp above it to keep out the weather at the back of a dead-end ally. It was hard at first, he missed his home and his mother and Kagome terribly, but he soon had a schedule that made the days go by easier: wake up, dumpster-dive, eat at Kaede's, run to school, learn for six hours, dumpster-dive, eat at Kaede's, work off what he'd eaten, go to sleep, repeat.

Public school was tough. He wasn't sheltered from hanyou prejudices anymore and so he made no other friends but for the two who had taken him in. His language became harsher, his temper became quicker, and his outlook on the world became more cynical. His interest in school was minimal, just enough to pass with C's and B's, and he was punished more than a few times for fighting. He didn't care. The only place he felt safe was with Sango, Miroku, and Kaede.

Years when by, and Sango then Miroku were hired at Kaede's place. That meant almost three years of dumpster diving in the afternoons alone. There were other homeless kids who did the same thing, but he never trusted them enough to hook up with them. He did, however tell the starving ones that Kaede would feed them if they worked it off, and so the Gaijin Shokudou became a sort of refuge for homeless children. InuYasha was hired, himself, when he turned fifteen, and a year later their combined money and savings were able to rent a not so crappy two bedroom apartment across from the diner; a bedroom for Sango, and bedroom for InuYasha, and the couch for Miroku. On graduating high school, Miroku was named manager and Sango continued working solely in the kitchen due to her…lack of customer relations. She was prone to slap anyone, especially customers who made and vaguely sexual comments about her, a fact Miroku knew all too well. Once InuYasha graduated, Kaede was happy to push the rest of the managerial duties on him, a job he was surprisingly good at.

By the time the hanyou turned twenty, all three of them had come a long way. They were housed, clothed and fed well with good paychecks coming in every two weeks. Though he had taken Miroku's advice and not thought about what happened in his past, it occurred to InuYasha one day that it had been ten years since that awful day…

* * *

**A/N: **Don't know if I should be proud of this one or not. To me it's kind of a filler even though I introduce three major characters. I just really want to get to writing the next chapter, which I'm pretty sure will be the 'Can You Feel the Love' chapter. Tell me what you think!


	7. It is Time

**A/N:** Konichiwa minna-san! Hey look, I'm ahead of schedule! Aren't you proud of me?^^ Well, for those of you who have wanted to see Kagome back in the picture, it's your lucky chapter! I hope you like it! Tanoshii omoi o suru!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

-

**Chapter 7**

**-**

Kagura stood with her arms crossed in Naraku's office as the CEO himself reviewed the latest financial reports. He had been quietly reviewing, and subsequently glaring a hole through them for the past fifteen minutes without dismissing his vice president. Finally, he looked up over the top of the print-out at the board looking woman. "Kagura…" he stared, his voice eerily calm, "why do I only see twenty-one major investors listed? There were twenty-two as of last Friday." The dangerously suave, though oily looking man had every appearance of being nonplused, but Kagura knew, from experience, that his rage was just beneath the surface. This would be the twelfth major investor to leave in the last three years, and more were voicing their discontent with every passing week. TH Inc. was plummeting, and fast.

"Yamaguchi Industries of Kyoto announced they were pulling out this morning, Naraku-sama."

The man's strong hand tightened on the sheet of paper. "Why." he demanded.

Kagura sighed. "I don't know, Naraku-sama. That's Public Relation's territory."

Naraku reached over to press the switch on his intercom, having it crackle to life. "Kanna. Send Izayoi up here immediately."

The device crackled again. "Hai, Naraku-sama." came the cool voice.

"I think it's time you admit that this company won't last much longer." Kagura said after a minute of silence.

"Shut up!" The CEO's calm mask broke momentarily. "We just need to market more, we just don't have the money to do that right now." He knew he sounded like a madman, but that didn't matter in just the presence of his VP. He had worked too hard for this. He had his large, plush office, stolen from the cold fingers of his rival. He controlled the company that should have been his years before. He _would not_ let it fail now! He saw the scowl on Kagura's face deepen and her mouth begin to open to put in another terse comment, but a knock on the door cut her off. "Come in Izayoi."

A tired looking woman in her early forties, her hair streaked with more gray than there should have been for her age, stepped into the room, shutting the door behind her. Her lips were set in a thin line as she stood strait and smoothed out her dark blue pantsuit before clasping her hands in front of her, so as to look presentable. "You wished to see me, Naraku-san?"

The man's eyes narrowed slightly. "How many times must I insist you address me properly, Izayoi?" He did not receive an answer. "No matter." He waved it off, "I was reviewing the financial report and found there to be one less investor reported than last week."

The proud woman looked strait ahead, passed the man who had taken her husband's position, out the wall of windows as she gave her answer. "The Yamaguchi Industries have announced their withdrawal."

"Yes. So I've heard. _Why?_" His voice was like that of a serpent. He folded his hands on the desk in front of him.

"Yamaguchi-sama has seen how our stocks have steadily fallen over the last six years and does not trust the company to stay afloat." The proper suffix did not go unnoticed.

Naraku let loose a small growl. "Yamaguchi has been a steadfast supporter for the last six decades, why would his loyalties change now?!" His temper was getting the better of him.

"Yamaguchi-sama trusted my husband-"

"Why does he not trust _me_?!" He pounded his fist on the desk in a rage and stood so quickly, the chair he'd been sitting in fell to the floor.

"You ruined this company!" The older woman's hands were clenched at her sides and her mask of indifference had broken, matching Naraku's rage. "My husband built this company from the ground up over almost two centuries of hard work! You were able to tear that all down in under a decade! You abused your authority, and squandered the company's money! If InuTaisho was alive-!"

"But he is not alive, now is he?! _I_ am the owner of this company! I will do what I wish with it and everything that is a part of it! I allowed you to stay in your position out of the sympathy I gave you for your losses. Do _not_ make me ask you to find a new place of work." It had such an air of finality to it that it forced Izayoi to close her mouth and hold in her rage, though she was far from contrite. "The Yamaguchi relations. Fix it." He glared.

The wife and mate of his late rival glared right back, and then turned on her heal, without bowing, and stormed from the room. Kagura watched her go with detachment and silently wondered what Naraku had gotten himself in to.

-

A slender twenty year old woman sat at her desk going between furiously typing and frustratedly going over various reports. Her raven locks had been swept up into a messy bun to keep it out of her way. She didn't know how much longer she could take this. Each day was exactly like the last. Dealing with investors withdrawing, bad press, tremendous loss of funds, the public's opinion of them plummeting more and more. The campus was nothing like the beautiful environment of her childhood. It made her heart constrict to see her second home literally falling apart. Damn Naraku! Damn the day he took over the company and gave almost all the high up positions to his ruthless lackeys. Nothing had been right since that day. The day of her best friend's funeral… The young woman shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts, there wasn't time. Finally she threw up her hands before burying her head in her arms on her desk, giving an aggravated sigh. She didn't hear the heeled footsteps coming toward her on the carpet.

"Kagome?" The girl simply grunted in response to the older woman's prompt. "Oh, Kagome, don't be like that. You know as well as anyone the world won't end if you can't come up with a new strategy _right_ now." Kagome sat back in her chair at Izayoi's kind tone.

"I just don't know what to do anymore, Izayoi-san. I can't do my job if Naraku won't do his. I'm a public relations rep., not a magician!" She was just so tired.

"Hush, love, you'll draw attention. But I know how you feel. Everything will work out in the end, you'll see."

Kagome turned to look at the gently smiling woman in the doorway of her cubical. She could remember a time when Izayoi had practically glowed with youthful energy and a kind of modest beauty. Time had in no way been unkind to her, but there were just things that made her look much too old. Her hair, now pulled back in a tight bun, was speckled with gray and white, her dark eyes had lost their luster, her skin was beginning to show faint creases of stress and age. Kagome really didn't know how she did it. How she went on after such a tragic life. Loosing her only son and loving mate in one instant, and then having to watch as her husband's beloved company fell into ruin. "How?" It sounded defeated even to her own ears.

The older woman gave a quick glance around before leaning in close to her surrogate daughter. "I want you to listen to me very closely, Kagome. You cannot discus what I'm going to tell you anywhere it may get back to Naraku, understand?" the girl nodded warily, "Yamaguchi-sama has pulled his investments, and Naraku is not happy about it. He told me to 'fix it'. I'm going to send you to Kyoto to speak with him."

Kagome's eyes widened. "But Izayoi-san! You have been close with Yamaguchi-sama for years. Surely your influence would be stronger than mine?"

Izayoi nodded. "Yes, that would be true if I was sending you there to discus finances." This confused the younger woman. What else was there to discus? "I have spoken to him about getting you a job there."

Kagome's eyes shot wide. "A job?! But why?" Izayoi wanted her to leave the only place she had ever really known? It would be trying to put her past behind her…

"Hush, Kagome, please. This place isn't going to last much longer, and if I know Naraku the way I think I do, he'll black-list us all when it does go down. We need to get you a new job before that happens. Please, just trust me. We'll talk about particulars later. For now, I'm sending you to 'deal' with the Yamaguchi relations."

Kagome nodded and Izayoi took her leave. What was going on? Kagome knew it wouldn't take much for Naraku to black-list anyone, but this? What would happen to Mama and Souta? How would Izayoi herself get out from under everything? She hoped the older woman knew what she was doing.

-

The wind was blowing a little cold for the time of year. It was the first week of April and, if it had been ten years ago, the sakura trees all over the campus would be in bloom. Kagome closed her eyes and could almost imagine the beautiful scene with the delicate fragrance wafting everywhere around here. Wait a minute… Deep brown eyes opened wide to see a sprig of sakura held right in front of her nose by a clawed hand. She turned, startled. "Kouga!"

The devilishly handsome 24 year old pulled back his hand and gave her a fanged grin. "Daydreaming again, love?"

Kagome's look of surprise dropped to one of distaste. "Kouga, please," she sighed, "Would you stop calling me that. We aren't together." Why did he always have to do this?

He leaned in close and rested a couple of clawed fingers under her chin. "But we could be." he whispered darkly.

Kagome glared and gave an impressive growl for a human, something she'd learned from InuYasha years ago, while deftly swatting away the wolf demon's hand. "Yes, you've made that quite clear. But, as I've _tried_ to make clear to you, I hardly see you that way. Now please, I don't have time for this. I have a train to catch." She raised a hand to wave him off and turned away, but was startled when Kouga gave a growl of his own, a far more impressive one at that, and grabbed her raised wrist and pulled her back so hard she almost collided with him.

"You listen here, love. I am much higher on the totem pole than you are-"

"Only because you sided with Naraku and let the company fall to ruin!" she was ignored.

"I'm sure you wouldn't want your mother's nice, secure job to suddenly disappear, would you?" A clear, rumbled threat.

"_You wouldn't_." She bit out disdainfully. She cringed as his smooth, otherwise sultry lips came in contact with her soft cheek.

"I'll just let you think about it, love. Perhaps you'll just be a bit more complacent when you come back from your little business trip." It disgusted her to know he thought he was being sexy, the jerk. Before she could react, he gave her a quick, hard kiss on the lips and turned to walk away. "Sayonara, love. I'll be waiting for you." He lifted his hand in a backwards wave.

If looks could kill, Kouga would have found himself quite a bit more than six feet under right then. Kagome spat and wiped her lips with the back of her hand to try and get rid of the feeling of his mouth on hers. _'Ruthless bastard.'_ she thought as she watched his receding back. Both he and Kikyou had found people of like mind after the takeover, and had fit right in. They were even worse now than they had been before. Finally prying her fiery blue eyes from the wolf-demon, she checked her watch and then turned to head to the train station. She had to get to Kyoto.

-

It had been a long day. The Sakura Festival had just started and all of Kyoto was in a frenzy. Sure he didn't like the crowds, especially when a lot of the people weren't actually from Kyoto, but they brought business and business brought money. It had been ten years and no one had recognized him yet, but he still worried sometimes. He was a lot older now, but he couldn't deny that he had a couple of very distinct Takahashi traits. He still kept a wary eye on any police men that came into the eatery, just incase his mother had never let them give up the search.

He loosed his abnormally long hair from the braid he kept it in at work and sighed as he stepped up to the door of his apartment building. Stupid managerial duties keeping him till after dark. He started for the top floor of the five story walk-up. Sango and Miroku had gotten to come home two hours before, but he didn't hear them on the other side of their apartment door. He unlocked it and stepped in, taking a deep breath through his nose. The lights were on but they hadn't been in the place for some time. His ear twitched as he heard soft murmuring from out the window. He strode over and listened more intently. They were in the roof. Throwing his keys on the coffee table, he went to his room and quickly changed into his favorite red sweatpants and a gray undershirt. He let out a grunt of annoyance as he switched off the lights and began climbing the fire-escape out the window to the roof. The murmuring and laughing got louder until he found his two room mates relaxing on the couches they (he more like it) had scrounged out of the trash and dragged up to the roof.

"Oi, just because I'm payin' utilities this month doesn't mean you two can leave the lights on for however long you damn well please." he growled.

"Oh, come on Yash. They weren't on that long. I went down to get the beers twenty minutes ago and forgot to hit the switch. Here, looks like you could use one." Miroku threw him a glass bottle. Catching it in midair, the hanyou flopped onto the open couch and opened the beverage with a claw. Judging from the amount of liquor he smelled on those two, it had been far more than twenty minutes since the beers had come into play.

He snorted and took a swig before asking, "What'd I miss?"

Sango chuckled. "Nothing really. Just talking about the old days." She downed the last of her drink before popping open another. InuYasha grunted. They knew he didn't like talking about his past unless it was absolutely necessary. The less you talk, the less you think, the less of a problem it is. Miroku had taught him that.

"What's so funny?" the hanyou asked, referring to the laughing he'd heard when he came up.

Getting ahold of her self, Sango answered. "When he was little," she stopped to laugh again, "Miroku was…afraid of _aliens_!" Both she and Miroku cracked up this time.

"I would stay up late and watch Scifi flicks. S'not like my parents cared. But, when I finally decided to go to bed, I was too afraid a little green man was going to fly through my window and abduct me to go to sleep!" the human man related through his hysterics. "Tell him yours Sango."

She tried to get herself under control again. "Ok, ok. Before I lived on the streets, I always, _always_, had to sleep with a nightlight on because when it was dark I would hear weird sounds coming from the dumpster in the ally out my window. And then, when I was on the streets…I was the one going out at night and making noise searching through dumpsters! Oh, the irony!" They both cracked up yet again. After a good five minutes or so they calmed down, but couldn't wipe the stupid grins off their faces.

InuYasha had only been half listening. The past. He always tried not to think about it. But the problem was, he _did_ think about it. Every time he would force it away. It wasn't his problem anymore. He shifted and put one of his arms under his head as he got more comfortable in his laid out position. He stared at the night sky. The few stars he could see through the city's haze and lights reminded him of something. Without really thinking, he spoke allowed.

"When I was young…" the other two got quiet, surprised that he would speak voluntarily about his past, "someone told me that no matter what, I could look up at the night sky and take comfort in the fact that the people I love are looking at the same stars, the same moon. Even if they aren't around anymore."

The rooftop was quiet for a moment and he figured they wouldn't respond, but then…

The two more-than-tipsy humans cracked up, once more laughing hysterically. "Oh, Kami! How sappy can you get?!" Miroku guffawed.

"Duh, you're looking at the same sky, if you're even looking at the sky at the same time. And what do you mean 'even if they aren't around any more'? Dead people ain't lookin' at anything but the inside of a coffin!" Sango took another drink of her beer.

InuYasha tensed his muscles and narrowed his amber eyes. _'Damn them.'_ He rolled off the couch, finished his beer, and threw it over the side of the roof, listening to the satisfying crash of it hitting the dumpster as he walked over to the fire-escape and swung back into the apartment. He heard them quiet down, no doubt wondering what they'd done. With a frustrated sight the inu-hanyou racked his clawed hand through his silver-white locks and paced aimlessly in his room for a moment. He turned and opened his window wide and leaned out, bracing himself on the sill and stared at the sky again. He should have left well enough alone. He raked his hand through his hair again, pulling away with a few long, thick strands tangled in his fingers. _'Fuckin' shedding.'_ He dropped them out the window and watched them flutter downwards before a redbird flew past and snatched them out of the air. He watched it fly off. _'Kaa-san always liked redbirds.'_

-

Totosai sat in his cave eating breakfast by the light of the fire pit. The early morning air was hard on his old bones. He looked over and shook his head at the half-finished sword he would be working on that day. It was a pity. His creations, every inch ready and willing to go into battle, would simply be hung on a wall in this day and age. A twitter drew his attention to the entrance of the cave. There, looking at him expectantly and hopping from side to side, was a little redbird. Annoying thing. He sneered. "Shoo!" He waved his hand at it. "I don't have any food for you, ya little pest. So shoo!" It didn't move, just kept looking at him keenly. "Fine, mangy thing. We'll do it my way. Don't say I didn't warn you." He took a deep breath and blew a stream of fire in the bird's direction.

The bird flew up and dodged the blast, but took the hint and flew out of the cave and on its way, but not without dropping its small cargo. "Bah, good riddance. Not like I need bird droppings in my living space." He watched the long, wispy things the bird had dropped flutter to the ground without much interest until he felt a very faint youki. "Hm? What's this? Calling card from Yura? No, she always uses crows." He lumbered over and picked up the silver-white hairs with a wizened hand and scratched his dandruff laden scalp with a cracked, grimy fingernail. He sniffed. "Hm, dog. And the color…could it be Sesshomaru?" He looked more closely. "Split ends. Not Sesshomaru." Out of the corner of his eye he became aware of something. A sword he had forged to decades before hanging on one of the cave walls. It had never been used, never even presented to its rightful owner. His brows drew together as a suspicion came to him. "Hm, could it be…?"

He hobbled over to the sword's place on the wall and gently placed the hairs on the hilt of the Tetsuaiga. If he was correct, then the slight youki of the hairs should cause the sword to…yes! There! It was faint, but the sword gave a small pulse of power. Totosai's already bulbous eyes widened just a fraction more. "Well I'll be damned." He walked over to his wall of names and found the one he needed. With a small chisel and mallet, he re-carved the three characters to make them stand out over the simple line he'd crossed them out with. InuYasha. "Hn. I told him that boy was going to be a handful." He grabbed the sword off the wall and headed out of the cave. "Come on Tetsuaiga."

-

'_Damn Sango.'_ Since when did grocery shopping become this difficult? It was Sango's turn to pay for food, so of course Miroku had this new need to follow the woman everywhere she went, forcing _him_ to go so that he could keep the lecherous idiot our of trouble. The hanyou snorted. _'Just my luck.'_ It was late in the afternoon, just between the lunch and dinner rushes so there weren't _as many_ people as there could have been, but there were still plenty due to the Sakura Festival. And of course the just _had_ to take the rout that went past the main branch of the Kyoto Train Station. _'Too many damn people.'_ "Hey Sango! Did ya have to take us this way?!" he growled over the noise.

"Can it Yash! It was either this way or right next to the festival proper. I know you don't like crowds, but it's the inner city on a festival day. Get used to it." He hated it when she was right. He just wished she wasn't so pissy. Stupid Miroku for grabbing her ass _again_. "Just grab Miroku and hurry up!"

He glared at her back. "Come on, Letch…" He turned only to find that the over eager man was no longer behind him. Damn. "Sango, wait up!" The crowd had thinned, but still he could not see the human he called his friend.

_Smack!_ "Hentai!"

Then again, sight wasn't usually necessary. InuYasha looked toward where he heard the commotion. An overly feminine scream followed the exclamation, hinting that Miroku had gotten himself in more trouble than he bargained for. Now the hanyou was quickly able to distinguish his room mate as the purple-shirted idiot running scared towards him and Sango with an enraged woman in a green skirt-suit speeding after him. She was doing remarkably well considering her black pumps. Miroku dodged behind Sango as the woman ran up, blue eyes sparking, looking intent on getting a few punches in on the letch. InuYasha, actually fearing for his friends safety, shot out a hand and grabbed the young woman's arm, dragging her into him before taking hold of her other arm to fully restrain her. Despite his hanyou grip, she still struggled against him. Due to her flailing, the clip holing up her hair smacked him in the face causing it to come loose and fall to the ground.

"Oi, bitch! Calm down already!" he growled angrily.

Without missing a beat, her anger seemed to divert from Miroku and lock on to him. Faster than he would have thought possible for someone like her, she elbowed him in the gut, forcing him to release his hold. She then dropped down, balancing herself with her hands and swept his legs out from under him. Before he knew what was happening, InuYasha was on his back with a black, healed shoe pressing into the center of his chest. The utter shock registered on his face. "Don't you dare call me that!" she yelled.

The hanyou lay there looking up at the woman who had felled him so quickly. Her deep blue eyes sparkling dangerously, her mid-length black hair loose and falling over her shoulders. Suddenly a new wave of shock flooded over him. He knew this girl. And he knew the move she'd used on him…because he had taught it to her.

"Kagome?"

-

* * *

**A/N: **There you go! I know, evil little me for ending it on a cliffy. Well you'll just have to wait. Next up: Can _you_ feel the love tonight?^^ I know, I can't wait either. Tell me what you think!


	8. Can You Feel the Love Tonight

**A/N:** Konichiwa, minna-san! The next chapter of TFYP up! This is the chapter I know some of you have been waiting for and I hope it doesn't dissapoint. The actual Can You Feel the Love scene is shorter than I originally thought it would be, but I think it goes perfectly with the story. This is a rather appropriate day to post this, don't you think?^^

* * *

Chapter 8

-

She glared down at him, her eyes sparking with anger.

"Kagome?"

Her eyes snapped wide in surprise and confusion and she slowly stepped back, removing her foot from his chest. Who was this boy? He looked not two ears older than herself. Her eyes darted to his friends as he stood and brushed himself off. Such unusual features, you'd think she'd remember meeting him. There were only three people she knew to have features like his, but… One she knew to be back in Tokyo, looking after his own business, and the other two were dead…right? Could it possibly be? She didn't dare let herself believe…

"Who…who are you?"

The brightening of the boy's amber eyes and the smile that broke out on his face made Kagome's heart leap in her chest, and she just dared to hope… "Really, Kagome, how many hanyou do you know with dog ears on top of their head?" He twitched said ears for emphasis. When she still looked at him with suspicion he took a step closer and said in a gentler, more serious voice, "It's me. It's InuYasha."

Her blue eyes opened wide once more with disbelief. She looked intently at his face. The same boyish enthusiasm, the same amber eyes, though they seemed darker with hardship. Tears welled in her deep blue orbs and she, too, stepped closer, raising a hand to his cheek without actually touching it. "InuYasha?" she whispered. His smile grew all the wider at her recognition and he nodded. Then, without warning, she threw herself at him, her arms winding around his neck, hugging him for all she was worth. He, too, wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her, though not quite as fiercely, he didn't want to hurt the girl after all. He nuzzled her ear slightly. For the first time in a long while, he was happy, really happy. They were in their own little world on that Kyoto sidewalk. "B-But…how?" she sobbed. How could it possibly be? "He told us…that you were d-dead."

InuYasha pulled back from the embrace to look her in the eye. "Who?" he asked, confused. _'Dead…?'_

She swallowed back her tears. "Naraku. He told us all about what happened with your father-"

"My father?" he fidgeted, "How much did he tell you?"

"Well-"

"Ah-hem. Uh, guys? Can we _not_ do this in the middle of a busy sidewalk?" Sango asked in an annoyed tone. She and Miroku had watched from the side as this reunion went on. The hentai had calmed down and came out of hiding as soon as it seemed the new girl was thoroughly distracted and now was now rather interested that InuYasha knew her. Sango, however, seemed to not like the situation much.

InuYasha seemed to snap out of a trance at his friend's interruption. "Oh! Yeah, our apartment is just down this way a little, we can go there."

Kagome looked as if she would agree before she remembered something. "Wait. I should probably find my hotel first and check in. If I wait to long-"

"Why not just stay with us?" InuYasha cut her off, "You can save some money and we can…you know, catch up?" Off to the side, Sango scowled at the fact that he hadn't even consulted them.

Kagome gave a shy smile. "I'd like that." Amber eyes lit back up at her answer.

-

Fifteen minutes later and all four were standing together in the living room of their small apartment. Kagome was once again just staring at InuYasha with the same happy disbelief as before. "Ten years. We've all…We all thought you were dead. And now you're standing right in front of me, all grown up and…" The raven haired girl choked back the tears welling in her eyes.

Without thinking, InuYasha closed the distance between them and took her into his arms, holding her close. "Don't cry, Kagome. You know how I hate it when you cry."

She laughed through her tears and leaned back from his embrace. "You just don't know how happy I am right now, how happy everyone will be. That day…You don't know what it was like for us. Your mother had thought she'd lost both of you. Oh, Kami, what will your mother say when she finds out-"

"She's not going to find out. None of them are." His eyes narrowed in determination, his voice set.

Kagome looked confused. "What do you mean? You're coming back with me aren't you?" He looked away stubbornly. "Takahashi InuYasha, you look at me!"

It was at this point that the two bystanders' eyes flew open. They looked at each other. "Takahashi?" Sango asked, stunned.

Miroku stepped forward. "Not Takahashi of Takahashi-Higurashi Incorporated?"

Kagome huffed and InuYasha glared, trying to get her to shut up. It didn't work. "Of course! I'm the Higurashi, he's the Takahashi, well our fathers were anyway. Who did you think he was?"

Miroku spoke up again, much to InuYasha's ire. "Takeda InuYasha."

"Takeda?" Kagome turned to her hanyou friend. "Your mother's maiden name." She ignored his growing glare. "But why? You're a Takahashi, InuYasha. You're the heir of – Dear Kami." She stared at him and he began to fidget. "Your father's will. _You're_ supposed to inherit the company. InuYasha, it's yours by _right_!" Inexplicably to everyone else, this made the girl very happy.

Miroku's eyes widened with glee. "InuYasha, buddy! You have money! You have power! You can be famous and have any girl you want-!" Ow." Sango slapped him over his head and scowled.

"Now look here, missy. You have the wrong guy. Yash isn't some stuck up rich snob and couldn't have been raised in that world. I mean, sure, he does fine as manager of Keade's gaijin restaurant, but running an entire empire of a company? No offence, Yash." He grunted at Sango's speech.

Kagome stomped her foot at the older girl. "InuYasha was _not_ raised as a rich snob, and how dare you insinuate that his parents were such!"

"Calm down, Kagome, she didn't mean it like that."

"But, InuYahsa-"

"Listen," he walked past her to look out the window and sighed, frustrated. "I can't go back to that world. I'm sure Sesshomaru's got everything under control anyway." The room fell silent, one in disappointment, one in satisfaction, and once in confusion.

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome asked, "InuYasha, I haven't seen Sesshomaru since your – I mean your _father's_ funeral."

Now the hanyou was the one confused. He half turned to her. "What do you mean? He's the next blood-kin, the company should have gone to him."

Kagome looked away, realizing that he had no idea what was happening back home. "He refused, InuYasha. He didn't want the 'burden' of your father's company on top of the responsibility of his own. Naraku bought out the company." Her voice was sad.

"Naraku-san?" he saw her flinch at the honorific, "Why is that a problem? Tou-san trusted him."

Kagome's face contorted in anger. "It was a hostile takeover in the midst of the tragedy. A lot of people lost their jobs and were replaced with his full-demon cronies."

"Oka-san?" This was too much. If his mother had been forced out because he ran away…

Kagome scoffed. "Oh, he kept some important people, your mom, me, my mom, for appearances' sake, but only with the threat of black-listing if we left."

InuYasha was confused. "You? You're, what? Almost twenty? Shouldn't you be in college?"

She snorted. "I was certainly planning on it. Thought I'd go to Osaka and get away from Naraku for good. But when I graduated high school, he announced that he'd hire me right away and if I refused, he'd black-list me so thoroughly I wouldn't even be able to get a job as a bag-lady." She sighed at his disbelieving look. "Do you know why I'm here, in Kyoto, InuYasha? You're father's company is going under. I'm here to try and get one of our biggest investors not to pull out. Naraku ruined it. He ruined everything."

InuYasha turned to the window and closed his eyes. "Naraku-san wouldn't do that. He was a friend to my family. It can't be as bad as you say it is." He didn't want to believe it. He didn't want it to be his fault. Just like it was his fault that his father died…just by being alive. He jumped at Kagome's next words.

"Are you calling me a liar?!" She was pissed, her hands clenched at her sides.

InuYasha turned. "No! That's not what I meant!"

"You haven't been there, InuYasha! You don't know what the hell it's like!" She took an angry step forward; he could tell she wanted to hit him.

"Kagome, it's not my problem anymore!"

She slapped him.

"Like hell." She gave him the most vicious glare she could. "It will always be your problem, InuYasha, because you are the only one who can fix it. You're just choosing to run away again." She turned away from him and took a step towards the door. InuYasha panicked. He didn't want it to end like this…not after they had just found each other again.

As quickly as he could, he blocked her path, barring her from leaving the apartment. He grabbed her shoulders and when she refused to look at him, he shook her slightly. "Kagome, I-" What could he say? Suddenly, he smelled the salt from her tears and knew he had to suck up his pride. He pulled her to him in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.

After a moment, she relented. Even when he was younger, he rarely apologized outright. She didn't really want to leave anyway. He was back from the dead, and she wanted to keep it that way. She gave a small watery laugh. "Listen to us. Together not a half an hour and we're fighting like an old married couple."

InuYasha loosened his grip and smiled somewhat sadly. "Well, we _are_ technically engaged. You remember what Miyoga-jiji said."

Kagome leaned back and lifted a hand to his cheek, her smile was bitter. "We've both changed so much. Maybe too much." He wasn't coming back with her, so why even hint at a relationship? InuYasha released her and tried to shrug off the feeling of rejection. He didn't really have a claim on her after all.

Sango's eyebrow began to tick. What did this girl think she was doing? He was their friend too. He must have run away for a reason, so why was she trying to drag him back? "Let him just forget his past already, will ya?"

This seemed to snap the two old friends back to reality. Kagome blinked, stepped back from the hanyou, and cleared her throat as she straitened her blouse. Once Sango's words sunk in, however, her eyes narrowed.

InuYasha, though embarrassed, recognized the sign and cut in before anything could happen. "Oi," he put his arm in front of Kagome, "Calm down Sango. I'd like to avoid another fight so soon, if you don't mind." There was a slight growl in his voice. Sango deferred, but obviously wasn't happy about it. The hanyou looked over a Miroku, who still looked enraptured by the beautiful new comer. It was then that he realized that he never actually introduced any of them. "Oh, um, Kagome this is Sango and Miroku, they took me in when I first got here and are now really good friends of mine. Guys, this is Kagome, she's…well, she's…"

"We grew up together." The blue-eyed girl finished for him. She put out a hand in a very business like way to Sango, who looked down at it before giving it a strong, curt shake. Miroku nearly pushed his friend out of the way in his efforts to formally meet Kagome. He stuck out his hand with a smile.

"A pleasure to meet you m'lady."

Kagome's eyes narrowed slightly at him and she crossed her arms. "I'm not touching that. No telling _where_ it's been." Miroku fidgeted and slowly drew back his hand as his two friends' gazes landed on him.

"What did you do?"InuYasha demanded.

"N-Nothing…" he tried to look innocent.

"He grabbed me in a _very_ inappropriate place." Kagome shifted her weight on to her other foot.

"Miroku…" the hanyou growled low.

"InuYasha you know he does this all the time! Let it go," Sango stepped in front of a cowering Miroku, surprising InuYasha just long enough for Kagome to throw in her two bits.

"InuYasha," she said gently, laying a hand on his tense arm, "I only meant it as a joke. I'm sure any friend of yours can't be that bad, ne?" He looked at her for a moment before releasing his stance, but still gave Miroku a withering glair. There was a small awkward silence before Kagome drew InuYasha's attention once more. "Hey, maybe we should get out of here. You and confined spaces never really mixed well. We could go out for dinner or something…" She looked at him shyly through her bangs, not really sure if this was appropriate for two friends who hadn't seen each other in almost a decade.

He relaxed almost completely and gave a small nod, also slightly unsure. "Um, the Sakura Festival is on not too far away. We could…we could go check that out."

"Wonderful!" Miroku exclaimed, "We could all get to know each other a little bit better." He grinned at the beautiful nineteen year old.

"Oh, um…" Kagome fidgeted awkwardly and glanced back up at InuYasha before looking down at her feet.

InuYasha understood the problem. "Um, I think you guys should stay here or something." He looked at Sango and Miroku, one shocked, the other disappointed. "Me and Kagome want to catch up and stuff. And from how it sounded earlier, we have a lot of ground to cover." Kagome smiled up at him. It was obvious he wasn't used to doing things like this without them. "We'll go as soon as you're ready." he said to Kagome.

"Ok. You're mom told me to enjoy the festival while I'm here, so I made sure to bring a yukata. I'll just go change into that." She turned before remembering she didn't know the layout of the apartment. "Um, where should I go?" she asked sheepishly.

InuYasha shook his head and smirked. "My room, second door on the right." She smiled at him and scurried down the hall with her small duffle bag. He looked back at his two other friends and fidgeted under their stares. "What?" he asked defensively.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sango raised an eyebrow.

"Keh. What does it look like?" He wouldn't meet their eyes.

"What have we told you about putting your past behind you? We know whatever happened still bothers you. You can't get over it if you indulge in things that are part of your past!" Sango folded her arms, "Besides, I don't trust her. All rich people are the same. Annoying, greedy, bitchy, snobbish little prats…"

"I can't just push her away like that. It wasn't _her_ fault I left. And Kagome's not like that. You don't know her." They stared at each other for a tense minute before InuYasha noticed some movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see Miroku trying to open the window out to the fire escape without making a sound. "Miroku!" the dark haired man stopped with a guilty look on his face. "Grabbing her was one thing, you didn't know she was mine, but I will gauge out your eyes if you go peeping-tom on her." he growled. The other two stared at him. "What now?!"

"Yours?"

The hanyou had the decency to blush, and looked away. "Um, if…if we're going to the festival, I should probably change too…" He ignored the question and walked toward his room. He knocked on the door. "It's me. Can I come in?"

"Yeah! I'm decent!?" Kagome called back. He opened the door and slid in, making sure to lock it behind him. When he turned towards his beat-up old dresser and mirror he was stunned into speechlessness. She was beautiful. She had donned a simple, soft green summer yukata struned with medium sized white flowers, with a light blue juban peaking out at the neckline, all held together with a bright red obi which she was just finishing tying in a simple butterfly knot. In the rush of everything happening he hadn't had time to really look at her before, but now… He could see she was no longer the young girl he once knew. She was slim, but not overly so, with curves in all the right places. Her skin was pale, but not pasty, a testament that she probably spent most of her day in an office building. He watched her begin playing with her long, dark locks, using one hand to hold them up close to her head. He took a few steps closer to stand behind her and used one of his own hands to gently push away hers, letting her hair fall free.

He looked at her reflection in the mirror and she met his gaze. "Leave it down. I like it when it's down."

She smiled at him in the mirror. "I know. I remember." They stood like that for a moment, just enjoying the other's company. "You should get ready."

"Keh. How do you know I'm not just going like this?" His eyes narrowed playfully.

She giggled. "You wouldn't have come in here if you were." She'd got him there.

"Keh." He turned and went to his closet, fishing around in the back for his traditional robes. He found them without too much trouble and, without thinking, freed himself of his T-shirt and slipped his arms into the white juban. Meanwhile Kagome had backed up to sit on the end of the full-sized bed to slip into her white tabi socks. She was just in the middle of pulling one on when she glanced up at the mirror and stopped dead. In the reflection she could see InuYasha changing, pulling off his shirt to reveal a lean but strong figure with toned, pale skin. It was quickly covered with the white fabric of his juban, but she couldn't tear away her gaze as his nimble gingers secured the ties. Since the juban reached almost to his knees he seemed not to hesitate to start unfastening his belt. His fingers were on the fly before he glanced up and met her stare. Both looked away with a blush. "Do you…do you mind?" He fidgeted.

"No…" she answered quietly. She had expected him to change cloths, but she hadn't expected to enjoy it so much. He had muscle, but it would be easy to misjudge his strength. The combination of those muscles flexing and his amber eyes and his long beautiful hair skimming the skin just above his low-slung jeans…Kami, she'd never felt like this before. She tried to shake it out of her mind and distract herself by quickly pulling her other tabi on and slipping on her zori sandals. She felt the mattress sink behind her and glanced up to see InuYasha sitting on the side of the bed so he could tighten the ankle ties of his red hakama and slip into barely noticeable reed sandals. They got up together and looked at each other.

"I guess we should go…" InuYasha said after an awkward moment. Kagome smiled and nodded, taking his arm as they walked down the hall. They barely noticed Sango and Miroku staring at them as they walked through the living room and out the front door.

"Look at them!" Sango raged once they had gone out of the apartment.

"Sango, love, I don't know why you're all worked up about this. They haven't seen each other in years." He tried to placate her.

"Trust me, there's a lot more there than old friendship. Did you see the way they were looking at each other?" She crossed her arms with a huff.

Miroku's face dropped in almost comical fear. "You…you aren't _jealous _are you?"

Sango deadpanned. "Jealous? Are you stupid?" She threw up her hands, her ponytail wagging with the shaking of her head. "No, I'm not jealous! But, but…Oh, come on, we're fallowing them." She grabbed his wrist and dragged him out the door.

-

The streets housing the festival were crowded with couples and groups of friends in traditional attire. It was noisy, but not to the point where it was annoying. The happy shouts and giggles, and easy talking of friends created a warm atmosphere as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The smell of noodles and steamed vegetables and roasting meat of the food stands blended with the soft fragrance of the sakura blossoms to create am aroma that couldn't fail to put a smile on anyone's face.

Sango and Miroku followed the hanyou and his childhood friend at a relative distance, trying to be discrete. They watched their friend walk arm-in-arm with the girl, sometimes talking, sometimes lapsing into what looked like a comfortable silence. Every once in a while Kagome would pull InuYasha towards a carnival booth. Sango's eyes narrowed at the raven haired girl's incessant giggling when each of the hanyou's paddles ripped through as he tried to catch a goldfish at a particular booth. She even growled a little when the girl promptly scooped a shimmering orange fish into a water-filled bag on her first try, dangling it teasingly in front of her dog-eared companion.

"Look at her!" Sango gestured wildly at the grinning girl, "She just thinks she's all that. I _swear_, she thinks she's better than us. Stupid little rich girl." She folded her arms and turned away in a huff.

Miroku sighed as he watched Kagome bend down and hand over her fish to a sniffling young boy who couldn't seem to get the hang of the paper paddles himself. She even smiled encouragingly at him when he hesitated to take it from her. "I really don't see what the problem is, Sango. She seems alright to me."

Sango turned to him, glair still set. "Can't you see what's happening? I can."

Miroku looked intently at the couple now standing in front of a food stall, deciding what to have for dinner and then back at his friend. "What's happening?"

Sango huffed again. "Geez, none of you have a clue!" She gestured to the hanyou and the girl, both grinning at each other presumably because of something one of them had said. "They'll fall in love and he'll just follow her back to where they grew up, abandoning us just like everyone else in our lives."

"Oh," Now he understood why Sango disliked the new girl so much. He thought for a moment. "Well, that's the worst case scenario. Come on, we'll just see what happens." Grudgingly, she followed him to spy on their friend some more.

Kagome couldn't help but laugh hysterically at InuYasha's choice of beef ramen for dinner. It seemed as if his mother had been wrong that his ramen-for-every-meal phase would end quickly. But, of course, this gave him license to tease her about her never-ending oden obsession; her choice of dinner. They found a vacated bench that looked back on the game booths. They ate in contented silence, watching people enjoying the festivities.

Out of the corner of his eye, InuYasha watched the beautiful woman beside him. It seemed there was some understanding between them not to bring up what had been breached back at the apartment. There was so much he wanted to tell her. He wanted to make her understand why he left and why he couldn't go back. He wanted to tell her everything, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't want to change her view of him. Sure she didn't mind him being hanyou now, but what would she think if she knew he had been the cause of his father's death? She had been so innocent back then, and she still seemed relatively content now, and with what he knew about the hardships she'd faced, it seemed quite a feat. If she knew…she'd be disgusted. Disgusted with _him_. He never wanted to see that expression on her gentle face.

Kagome watched a group of young children chase each other around, darting in and out of the throngs of people. It reminded her of when she and InuYasha had been in school, when they would play just like that. It saddened her a little bit because she knew the schoolyard at TH Inc. was empty and in just as much disrepair as everything else. Just another thing Naraku had screwed up. She had never been able to watch her little brother, Souta, play on the same equipment she had. Everything would be different if she could get InuYasha to come back with her. She knew he do an amazing job as CEO. Anyone would be better than Naraku, but she could _see_ something in InuYasha. It screamed authority and determination. Why couldn't he see himself the way she saw him? There was something about how he acted… He was hiding something from her. But what could it possibly be? What could be so horrible he couldn't even tell _her_? She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and promptly dissolved into a fit of giggles. Her hanyou friend was stuffing his face with ramen so fast there was absolutely no way he could breathe between bites.

InuYasha stopped mid-slurp and turned his head slightly. "Whaa'?" This response served only to make the girl laugh even harder.

"Y-You're…you're eating like you don't know when you're next meal will be." Her dark blue eyes twinkled with mirth.

InuYasha, however, got defensive. "Well, for a while, when I first came here…I didn't. It's just habit now."

Kagome's face fell instantly. "InuYasha…"

He shook his head. "Don't."

"InuYasha, I _want_ to talk about this."

"…We will. Just not tonight, ok?" He gave her a small smile of assurance. She nodded as he went back to quickly devouring his beef-flavored noodles. When he was finished, he wiped his mouth on his sleeve and, deciding Kagome was taking far too long finishing her food, InuYasha quickly swiped one of the last pieces of oden from her bento box. While eliciting a harsh glair that was hard to distinguish as real or playful, the action did seem to lighten the mood quite a bit. When he grabbed for another with his chopsticks she was ready and pulled the box from his reach. His continued attempts pulled a giggle from her now upturned lips. Deciding she could evade him for only so long while still sitting on the bench, she sprang from her seat, still laughing, and ran, gobbling down the last piece of delicious oden and throwing out her trash when she streaked past the first bin she found.

InuYasha ran after her, weaving in and out of the other people in the streets, laughing himself at the fun of the chase. Every time he would get close, it seemed, she would dart through another group of festival-goers and he would have to look hard to catch a glimpse of her green and white yukata, or for her bright red obi to catch his eye. There was an instant when he saw her in the open, with no people hiding her from his view. She was looking back at him, teasing him to come and catch her, still laughing in their game. A breeze had chosen that moment to pick up and shower her with sakura petals, as if it were a gentle pink snow. It was the single most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, and, as luck would have it, his awe gave Kagome just enough time to dart away again before he could catch up.

She ran into a park and he continued to follow her until they came to a rise of a small hill, which slowed her considerably with the help of her shortened breath. Putting on an extra burst of speed, the hanyou was easily able to close the gap between them and, instead of simply stopping her at the top of the rise, he seized her around her waist as his momentum combined with gravity pulled them both to the ground. With a surprised yelp from Kagome, they rolled the short way to the bottom of the hill, still intertwined, with InuYasha taking as much of the impact as he could, thus ending up on his back with his best friend sprawled half across his chest.

Both now breathing hard, InuYasha chuckled a bit. "Why is it that we always end up like this? With me on my back and you holding me there?"

The girl lifted her head from his shoulder, using her arms to prop herself up on his chest, and looked down at his face. "I don't know." she grinned, "Maybe you're just the submissive one in our relationship." She laughed outright when InuYasha narrowed his eyes and growled, obviously unhappy with that explanation. But that quickly dissolved into laughter when he fully realized she had been kidding. As their laughter died down, Kagome looked down at her friend and blue clashed with gold. Panting, they both stilled as everything else around them melted away. They couldn't tear their eyes from each other, even if they wanted to.

"I missed you…" Kagome whispered, as if speaking any louder would break whatever wonderful magic had swathed itself around them.

"I missed you, too…" InuYasha reciprocated just as quietly. Without further invitation, Kagome slowly leaned in, not breaking eye-contact until the very moment her lips met his. It was sweet and sorrowful and passionate and joyful all at the same time and neither wanted to stop. In that moment, none of their problems plagued them and they were just two people, a man and a woman, falling in love.

Back at the top of the hill, Sango and Miroku watched the two new lovebirds. Sango gave a furious snort and Miroku just sighed. "His life just got a _whole_ lot more complicated."

Sango turned away from the scene. "He's doomed."

"Well, there's no use crying about it. We might as well just go back home. But, I think I'm sleeping on the roof tonight." Miroku began walking back the way they'd come.

Sango glanced back at the kissing duo. "Ick. Me too." She followed her friend.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, I hope you all enjoyed that! Tell me what you think, ne? Happy Valentine's Day minna! Can you feel the love? =P


End file.
